18. Xavier
James Posey is ready to leave his sixth-man role and join the distinguished fraternity of Musketeers power forwards
Posted: Wednesday November 18, 1998 02:11 PM
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Posey, arguably Xavier's best player, finally steps into the starting lineup. Jonathan Daniel/Allsport |
In
June, James Posey, Lenny Brown and Darnell Williams were
cruising the streets of Cincinnati in Brown's car and
talking about the upcoming season, their final one at
Xavier. On this afternoon the three shared visions of
making their final season the most
memorable. A few weeks later, Williams, Xavier's leading scorer
last year, tore the ACL in his right knee while playing in
an exhibition game with the NIT all-stars in Italy. After
hearing the news that Williams would likely miss the entire
1998-99 season,
Posey and Brown vowed to dedicate the season to their friend
and teammate. "Any time we're feeling tired or down
we'll look at Darnell," says Posey. "He's our
inspiration. This season's for
him."
Even without Williams, Xavier figures to be one of the top
teams in the
Atlantic 10. The Musketeers's core lays in senior guards Gary
Lumpkin and Brown, who have played together for nine years
dating back to junior high. Brown averaged (14.7 ppg) is
the Musketeers best defender, while Lumpkin is a three-year
starter at point guard.
Over the last two seasons, Posey, a 6'8" forward who
led the team in rebounding (8.4 per game) in `96-97 and was
second in scoring (15.3), has been the best sixth man in
the country while giving Xavier a spark off the bench. This
season he will
start.
"I want to prove to people that I can give my team a
lift for a whole game, not just off the bench," says
Posey. "I'll just have to provide the spark a little
earlier."
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| STARTING LINEUP |
| POS. | HT. | CLASS | KEY STAT |
| SF Lloyd Price | 6'5" | Fr. | 15.3 ppg** |
| PF James Posey | 6'8" | Sr. | 15.3 ppg |
| C Obi Harris | 6'10" | Jr. | 9.0 rpg† |
| SG Lenny Brown* | 6'2" | Sr. | 14.7 ppg |
| PG Gary Lumpkin* | 6'2" | Sr. | 12.3 ppg |
'97-98 record: 22-8
Final rank (coaches' poll): unranked
*Returning starter
**ppg as high school senior
†rpg as juco soph
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Freshman swingman Lloyd Price, the highest rated recruit
in school history, is the most likely candidate to fill
Williams's shoes. Coach Skip Prosser expects contributions
from a pair of junior college transfers, 6'10" junior
center Obi Harris and 6'8"
Desmond Walker.
Xavier was a terror to play against last season, using a
aggressive, trapping defense that forced 22 turnovers per
game. The suffocating pressure, which enables the
Musketeers make up for their lack of size with quickness,
was particularly stifling
against Cincinnati (29 forced turnovers) and Northeast Louisiana
(38).
"We play a little faster than most teams and try to
stay in their face for 40 minutes," says Prosser.
"We try to apply pressure early and let teams know
it's going to continue all game. I want people to dread
playing
us."
—B.J. Schecter
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