By Oliver Thomas, Staff Writer
On Oct. 7, Xavier men’s basketball took on the Dayton Flyers in an exhibition game in the fourth annual CareSource Invitational, winning 82-76.
To make the in-state battle even more special, the game took place outdoors, at the home of the Cincinnati Open, the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio. This marked the first time that the venue had hosted a basketball game.
The event also featured an exhibition with two other top college basketball programs in the state. The University of Cincinnati took on The Ohio State University prior to the Musketeers’ game.
The Musketeers warm up for their first game outdoors.
The purpose of the CareSource Invitational was to bring awareness to youth mental health and suicide prevention. The foundational message of the event shown throughout the games was “It’s OK to not be OK,” in hopes of removing the stigma surrounding mental health conversations.
“For a great cause with CareSource that brings awareness to something that’s very, very important, this was great,” Xavier head coach Richard Pitino said.
The unique outdoor atmosphere was a hit with the fans. A near-sellout crowd of fans came to support the four programs.
“The whole concept and atmosphere has been awesome. It’s a beautiful facility, and I think the event is exposing a lot of people who would have otherwise not been exposed to it. Hopefully they do it again,” Xavier season-ticket holder Tim Brown said.
For Pitino, the nontraditional environment posed some concerns prior to the game but ended up being much less of an issue than he had initially expected.
“I was worried about the elements,” Pitino said.” Fortunately for us, we didn’t have a whole lot. I think the wind may have [impacted the game] a little bit.”
By the time the Musketeers and Flyers tipped off, the weather was ideal with clear skies and temperatures in the 70s. Pitino described it as a “perfect night.” With a 45% 3-point shooting day, the elements were a nonissue for the Musketeers. The other three programs went on to shoot a combined 28% from beyond the arc on the day.
“For me it was my first time playing outdoor basketball in a real professional game,” Xavier senior guard Ruben Dominguez said. “It was fun for sure.”
With the CareSource Invitational being such a success, it brought up questions about the future of events like these and if they could take place in the regular season, instead of just as an exhibition game.
“Playing outside for real is a little scary,” Pitino said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if this [event] grows… I’m certainly open to do it again.”
After a successful start to exhibition play, Xavier will head south to Knoxville to take on Tennessee on Oct. 15, before finishing exhibition play in the Cintas Center against Kent State on Oct. 23.