By Ryan Ottiger, Staff Writer
After a long stretch of summer workouts, Xavier’s official basketball practices are now underway. Following the first practice, head coach Richard Pitino addressed the media to give his outlook on the team for the upcoming season.
“We’ve got great size. We don’t have a bunch of seven-footers, but I mean we’ve got guards that are 6-foot-5, 6-foot-6, we’ve got four men that are 6-foot-9, 6-foot-10. So I think defense and rebounding will significantly improve. We had a good offensive team last year, we did, but we just didn’t have a great defensive and rebounding team. So it’ll look different, but I think we’ll be more suited for the rigors of the Big East,” Pitino said when asked about the team’s transition.
Pitino also emphasized that despite the increase in NIL payout to this year’s roster, it won’t have any implications on the team’s rotations.
Pitino expects Milicevic to fit into a veteran role this season as the team’s only confirmed returning player.
“I think revenue share comes into a huge play of getting the players, but once they get here, I don’t care what you make. If you can help Xavier win, you’re going to play.” Pitino said.
The team’s three exhibition games also begin Oct. 7, so Pitino was asked about them and how he views the matchups heading into the regular season.
“I love the change of being able to play a game in early October, that makes this time not as monotonous. I mean, we’re playing two weeks from Wednesday, so we’ll learn a lot, and we need to. When you have so many new players, it’s beneficial.” Pitino said.
The Musketeers will take on the University of Dayton on Oct. 7 at the Lindner Family Tennis Center outdoor venue, shaping up for what should be a unique way to informally start the season. On Oct. 15, they will tip off against the University of Tennessee, with their final exhibition hosting Kent State University at home Oct. 23.
The Musketeers had their first official practice on Monday.
When asked about player fit with the new roster, Pitino specifically highlighted the strong fit he sees between returning forward Jovan Milicevic and true center addition Mike Nwoko, along with his optimism for allowing Milicevic to play the four this year rather than the five like he did last year.
“Jovan got a lot out of playing the five. He made a lot of threes. He was a matchup nightmare, but defensively this will be better for him. Rebounding will be better for him, so he’s more comfortable with it.” Pitino said. “You know, he’s a trooper, he’s a team guy that’ll do whatever we tell him to do. I think he’s a savvy veteran who’s obviously played for me for a couple of years, and he’s had a really good offseason.”
Pitino went on to praise the pair’s chemistry, acknowledging the time they spent playing in Toronto together before Xavier.
Outside of just Milicevic and Nwoko, many players on the team have come from similar backgrounds. For example, Chance Westry, Tru Washington and Kalek House all spent time at the same high school, with Washington having already played under Pitino and House’s older brother having done the same.
“I think they’re gelling well, but they haven’t hit any adversity yet. So next month will be a really good test for that.” Pitino said when asked about the continuity of the three guards.
Overall, Pitino’s main takeaways seem to be his optimism about pairing a true center next to Milicevic, combined with the team’s positional size. With a roster featuring more size across multiple positions and several players already familiar with one another and Pitino’s system, Xavier enters the season with a different look than last year.
The upcoming exhibition games will provide the Musketeers with an early opportunity to see how those pieces come together before the regular season begins.