By Ben Dickison
Following the programs first losing season since 1995, Xavier’s men’s basketball roster will experience a paradigm shift over the coming months. Eight Musketeers have already entered the transfer portal, with two finding new homes for the 2024-2025 campaign already.
Sophomore sharpshooter Kam Craft has announced his intention to play for the coach he originally committed to play for at Xavier, Travis Steele. This means Craft will be making a short pilgrimage to Oxford and will don the red and white of Miami University next season. Craft did not appear in any games for the Musketeers this past season as he dealt with a variety of leg injuries. He saw sparing action in his first year in Norwood, averaging 2.6 points in 15 appearances. Craft was able to play in this year’s Musketeer Tip-Off intrasquad scrimmage, and poured in an impressive 14 points.
First-year forward Kachi Nzeh has inked his letter of intent to return to his home state and become a Penn State Nittany Lion. Nzeh found himself near the end of the big man rotation at the outset of the 2023-24 campaign with Xavier. However, as Big East losses began to pile up for the Musketeers in February, Head Coach Sean Miller lauded Nzeh for his energy level and ability to rebound. The former three-star prospect logged at least 20 minutes in road games against Marquette, Georgetown and Butler. He also earned a start in the Musketeer’s 91-58 shellacking of DePaul at the Cintas Center.
Currently in the transfer portal are the three forwards from across the pond that Xavier added in close chronological proximity to the start of last season: Saša Ciani, Gytis Nemeikša and Lazar Djokovic. No member of the this trio have made commitments yet to play elsewhere next season. There have been rumblings that a return to Xavier may be in the cards for Djokovic after an X account under the handle “@kymuskie”, which has a large following among Xavier men’s basketball fans, posted a direct message it received from a DoorDash driver who said Djokovic was sporting entirely Xavier gear after receiving the delivery. In addition to the European forwards, senior forward Abou Ousmane, who transferred into Xavier from North Texas will test the waters as well prior to his final season of collegiate eligibility.
Freshman shooting guard Reid Ducharme appeared in only five contest this past season, but was not granted any sort of redshirt status. He was a four-star prospect who Miller lauded as “a true gym rat” and “one of the best scorers in the country” during his high school and AAU career.
Brad Colbert, a 6’2” senior guard who joined Xavier’s roster in his sophomore year after a season at Louisville, will look to maximize his potential at a smaller institution, predicts Miller. Despite his status as a walk-on, Colbert appeared in the majority of Big East games after Xavier’s loss to Marquette in Milwaukee.
Current Xavier student, who is no longer a member of the program, Logan Duncomb, has also entered the transfer portal after recording minutes in Xavier’s games in the Bahamas in August.
Despite the expected mass exodus of current Musketeers, it is important to note that a player can withdraw their name from the transfer portal at any time and return to their previous institution. Additionally, Xavier has already received one commitment to next year’s roster: former Furman guard Marcus Foster.
As a redshirt senior this past season, the 6’4” Foster appeared in every game for the Paladins, averaging 17.5 points and seven boards per contest. He ranks just outside the top ten nationally in rebounding for players listed as guards. Foster led the Southern Conference in scoring this season and scored 14 points in the Paladins’ cardio-inducing upset of Virginia in last year’s NCAA Tournament.
With only six scholarship players remaining for next year’s roster, the Musketeers will need to rely on portalers from other schools to round out the 2024-2025 squad.
Names linked to Xavier include West Virginia guard Kerr Kriisa, who played for Miller at Xavier, Kentucky forward Adou Thiero, Toledo guard Dante Maddux Jr., and even Southern California guard Bronny James.