The Xavier University Musketeers men’s basketball team is a leading member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. Xavier has been one of the premier teams in college basketball in recent seasons, reaching the Sweet Sixteen in each and every of the last 3 seasons and the Elite Eight twice given that 2004. The best NBA basketball players from Xavier University incorporate a pair of active forwards, David West and James Posey.
David West:
The New Orleans Hornets’ two-time All-Star power forward David West is the all-time very best NBA basketball player from Xavier University. At Xavier, West scored far more than 2,000 points and was named the men’s basketball NCAA Player of the Year by the AP in 2003. As a 1st round draft choose by the Hornets, West’s career was slow to create, but it has been a great 1 for 5 seasons running. Because 2005-06, West has averaged at least 17 points per game in each season and a lot more than 20 twice. In 2008 and 2009 he earned All-Star selections as a leader on the Hornets’ last two playoff teams. Via seven years in the NBA, he has tallied 7,368 points and 3,324 rebounds.
James Posey:
Little forward James Posey is a two-time NBA Champion and one of the most effective NBA basketball players from Xavier University. Soon after 3 years with the Musketeers, Posey was chosen in the first round of the 1999 NBA Draft by the Nuggets. As a great defensive player, Posey became a starter in the NBA in his rookie season and remained in that role with Denver through 2002. Since then, he has had stints with Houston, Memphis, Miami, Boston, and most lately New Orleans, totaling 7,179 points and 3,914 rebounds by way of 11 seasons. Posey has been a contributor to a pair of title winners, 1st with the Heat in 2006 and again with the Celtics in 2008. He will continue his career in the 2010-11 season as a member of the Indiana Pacers.
Brian Grant:
Brian Grant was a formidable interior presence for 12 seasons as 1 of the very best NBA basketball players from Xavier University. Grant led the Musketeers to two wins in NCAA Tournament play in the early 1990s just before entering the NBA as the eighth pick of the 1994 draft. His longest stint came as a member of the Heat in four years in Miami, he averaged 11. points and 8.five rebounds per game. In 2002-03, he had a double-double season with 10.three points and 10.two boards. Grant was a difficult defensive player and a banger inside. He retired with 7,933 points and 5,622 rebounds.
Tyrone Hill:
Power forward Tyrone Hill was a great rebounder for the Cavs and one of the greatest NBA basketball players from Xavier. As a senior, Hill averaged 20.two points and 12.6 rebounds to lead the Musketeers to their 1st ever Sweet Sixteen in 1990. He had a long and consistent NBA career in which he notched three double-double seasons and grabbed 6,854 rebounds to rank in the all-time leading 100. Hill’s best efficiency came in 1994-95 when he was named an All-Star for the Cavs with 13.8 points and 10.9 rebounds per game.
Derek Powerful:
An additional excellent NBA forward from Xavier University, Derek Strong played ten seasons for six franchises. Powerful teamed up with Tyrone Hill from 1987 to 1990 to give Xavier one of the leading front-courts in college basketball. He entered the NBA as a second round choose and mostly had a journeyman’s career. Strong’s very best seasons came in Orlando exactly where he played from 1996 to 2000. In the 1997-98 season, he averaged career highs of 12.7 points and 7.four rebounds per contest.
Written by William Menna
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