"Tournament Frenzy"
*Originally published in the Xavier X-treme Fans newsletter: January-February 2006.
As a junior in high school and a prospective Xavier student, I tuned in as our Women’s Basketball team dominated national powerhouse Tennessee en route to the Elite Eight. Then, as a sophomore at this fine institution, I watched a 2nd round NCAA game in which our Men’s Basketball team dominated a Mississippi State team that had beaten us earlier in the season; this also led to a run to the Elite Eight. While the Women’s Basketball team in 2000-2001 was nearly perfect (losing only 3 games, including their loss to Purdue at the NCAA Tourney), the Men’s Basketball team of 2003-2004 had their ups and downs. As Kevin “Biggie” Branch, an X-treme Fans mainstay throughout his time at Xavier, recently reminded me, “I never expected to be 10-9 and last place in our division.”
With Kevin’s remarks, I recalled the outstanding experience that Atlantic 10 Tournaments can provide. Back in 2004, Dayton hosted the Men’s Bball Conference Tournament. As our Men’s Basketball team fought through a tough season, we failed to obtain a first-round bye. This meant we needed four wins in four days to take the Tournament. In addition, our Men’s Bball team the year before, led by National Player of the Year David West, had fallen in the Conference Tournament as the crowd of Dayton and other universities’ fans had appeared to rally together in opposition of us. Yet, there we were, after knocking out St. Bonaventure, #1 St. Joseph’s, and George Washington, taking on our rival Flyers on their home court in the 2004 finals. The Musketeers controlled the tempo for most of the game and, as we all know, won the game and the Conference. Even though we were at Dayton, and most college arenas prohibit fans’ on-the-court celebrations, we were permitted to rush the court. What a joyous feeling it was to celebrate with the team and the rest of the fans on this special day! A team that had been declared “bracket-busted” earlier in the year had become one of the nation’s most feared teams.
With that said, stay tuned as the Women’s and Men’s Basketball teams take the court in the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournaments. And, with the Men’s Tournament in Cincinnati, we just might get to relive the on-court experience of two years ago.
"Fall Sports Recap"
*Originally published in the Xavier X-treme Fans newsletter: November-December 2005.
The Fall 2005 campaign was a solid one for Xavier Athletics. The Women’s Soccer team rebounded from a tough season last year, narrowly missing the conference tournament this year. They saw their student attendance records broken in the process. The Men’s Soccer team had a similar season, also challenging for a playoff berth during the season’s closing weekend. Meanwhile, the Volleyball team saw the most success. They exceeded the 20-win mark in winning nearly two-thirds of their games. Read on more below for season wrap-ups from the respective Sports Chairs. For other stats and information on your favorite Xavier teams and student-athletes, check out goxavier.com.
Where do the student-fans fit into the equation? Well, here is how the above teams fared at home this season:
• Women’s Soccer 5-3-1
• Men’s Soccer 3-2-1
• Volleyball 6-3.
Thank you for your support of these teams and others and keep on providing a winning environment for our Musketeers! See you in the Cintas Center for some A-10 basketball!
"X-treme: All Day, Every Day"
*Originally published in the Xavier X-treme Fans newsletter: September 2005.
Believe it or not, ladies and gentlemen, here it is: a new season filled with Xavier athletics has already begun. What exactly is today? Well, the obvious answer is Monday, September 12th, 2005. Or, you would be correct to say today is Club Day on the Mall. Whether it is September 12th, October 29th, Monday, Thursday, March 3rd, or whatever day, date, time that you can name, we are the X-treme Fans! We are the group that has, in our history, scared a rival volleyball coach into annual protests against our crowd, had an opposing basketball coach write to a Board member about our arena’s amazing atmosphere, and recently had an opposing cheering section shake hands with us on our way out of a soccer game. We, the X-treme Fans, are making our presence felt nationwide, through our energy, enthusiasm, and encouragement of our players. We, the X-treme Fans, look to combine class and spirit to create a home-field advantage, such that future opponents will cringe at the sight of our university on their schedule.
To returning members, welcome back to campus! And to new members, welcome aboard! Let us all be X-treme—all day, every day!
"The Fever Spreads throughout the Nation"
*Originally published in the Xavier X-treme Fans newsletter: November-December 2004.
A recent article from Sports Illustrated's web site declared that our basketball program is the third most rootable program in the nation. That is a remarkable statement on Xavier University's behalf, considering that there are over 300 colleges and universities that participate in NCAA Division I basketball. However, few schools can match both the on-court and in-classroom success of our Men's and Women's Basketball teams/players. Since the turn of the century, both teams have advanced to Elite Eight play in the NCAA Final Four Tournaments. Not to mention players that can emphasize the "student" in student-athlete. We truly are a part of something special here at X. Let us show that we believe our basketball program is the #1 rootable program in the nation!