By Dustin Dow
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Xavier coach Thad Matta has averaged 25.3 victories in three years as a Division I head coach. The Enquirer/STEVEN HERPPICH

F R O N T C O U R T Someone has to step up and rebound. Anthony Myles will be a focal point offensively, but he has to be able to defend and hit the boards. His footwork also must improve, because Myles will carry more responsibility in the post and might see double-teams. Redshirt freshman Brandon Cole and sophomore Will Caudle have looked promising during the preseason as potential replacements for David West, but Justin Cage and Justin Doellman, both swingmen, also could make an impact in the frontcourt if Matta decides to go with a smaller lineup. Doellman is a multitalented player who can stop and pop from 3-point range and pull down a rebound in traffic on the other end. At 6 feet 6, Cage rebounds well and is more athletic than most forwards. B A C K C O U R T This is where the bulk of the talent is for Xavier, and there's plenty of it, starting with All-America candidate Romain Sato. The 6-foot-5 senior is the best rebounder, shooter and slasher on the team and is as athletic as any player in the country. He came back this season with a new, aggressive attitude that shows up on dribble drives to the basket. Matta can elect to go with two point guards, Lionel Chalmers and Dedrick Finn, or insert swingman Keith Jackson at one of the guard spots, giving Xavier a faster, more explosive court presence. Chalmers and Finn are interchangeable, and each has come back with improved outside shooting but needs to take care of the ball as Xavier ups its tempo. B E N C H Unlike last season, Xavier won't have to worry about playing starters 40 minutes game after game. Justin Cage, Justin Doellman, Brandon Cole and either Dedrick Finn or Keith Jackson could be effective as a sixth man, a role that is likely to change throughout the season depending on the situation. Because of the talent on the bench, coach Thad Matta will look for reserves not only to give valuable minutes but to make significant contributions. There will be cases when a reserve player will end up logging more minutes than a starter. Matta expects reserves to challenge starters for playing time, and it's likely this team will not have one starting lineup from start to finish. By redshirting Boubacar Coly, who had offseason knee surgery, Xavier lost some depth inside. ' 0 2  -  ' 0 3   F L A S H B A C K 2002-03 record: 26-6. Conference: 15-1 Atlantic 10 West Division, first place; lost in the semifinals of the conference tournament to Temple 63-57. NCAA Tournament: Lost in the second round to Maryland 77-64. Top scorers: David West (20.1), Romain Sato (18.1), Lionel Chalmers (12.0). Top rebounders: David West (11.8), Romain Sato (7.1), Anthony Myles (6.8). Top assist man: Dedrick Finn (4.3). Highlight: Xavier strung together a school-record 16 straight wins from early January through March, dominating the Atlantic 10 regular season. Lowlight: Just prior to the winning streak, the Musketeers lost two in a row at Alabama and at home to Richmond in the conference opener.

Last season was supposed to be the year for Xavier. How could it not be, what with David West, a first-rate nonconference schedule and, well, David West?

To an extent, 2002-03 was the year. West earned the Associated Press National Player of the Year Award, and Xavier repeated as Atlantic 10 West regular-season champion with a 15-1 record and a 16-game winning streak that extended into the league tournament. Xavier ended the regular season at No. 12 in the nation, and the Musketeers earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

But as has often been the case at Xavier, the season ended too early, with a second-round NCAA Tournament loss to Maryland and a lackluster finale to West's historic career.

So even as replacing West is a must for Xavier entering this season, the need to perform well come March is as prevalent as ever.

In an age of conference realignment that is probably years from being completely sorted out, Xavier is in position to improve its own stock with a deep NCAA Tournament run.

Tournament trip-ups

"We've been good to very good, but we want to go to great," Xavier athletic director Mike Bobinski said. "That's the theme I keep singing here to our people, everybody. A lot of (schools) would like to do that, but I think realistically speaking, if you look at our situation, you can see where that could happen.

"Clearly the quickest road to success in that kind of recognition is success in March. I know that, (media types) know that, our coaches know it; we all know that. March has a huge impact. Having something extraordinary happen in March clearly is the very best recipe to get where you want to go."

The trick, as Xavier coach Thad Matta will say, is avoiding a letdown in the NCAAs. Xavier played 20 bad minutes against Maryland, and the Musketeers' season was over just like that. A 26-win season was left to be judged by one forgettable game.

"So many times you put so much stock into the end," Matta said. "But going 15-1 in the Atlantic 10 and winning 16 straight games, and having five guys in double figures in conference play is a great season in my mind."

Few basketball skeptics would disagree. Even fewer would question Matta's desire to get Xavier deep into the postseason. Now in his third year at Xavier, Matta has built a program full of postseason potential - as well as questions about when it will come to fruition.

The lone Skip Prosser holdovers, Romain Sato and Lionel Chalmers, will exhaust their eligibility following this season, leaving Xavier entirely with players signed by Matta and his staff.

The future looks promising in sophomore point guard Dedrick Finn; freshmen Brandon Cole, Justin Doellman and Justin Cage; and transfer Brian Thornton. And next season's recruiting class includes a pair of high-profile recruits Xavier landed by beating out big-time programs, including Kentucky.

Matta's recruiting success, however, becomes iffy at Xavier in April. That is when the 36-year-old coach's name is mentioned for almost every big-time job that comes open.

"It's a good thing, because it means that we're getting the job done," Matta said. "But nobody can read my mind and understand how happy I am. I know that Xavier has made an unbelievable commitment to me, and that's appreciated."

That is an answer Bobinski loves to hear. He knows he has an up-and-comer on Xavier's sideline, and he'd like to keep Matta there as long as possible.

"I think as long as he feels like he can accomplish what he wants to accomplish in coaching here at Xavier, and we're doing all the right things for him - the practical things like compensation and contracts, which we're doing to the best of our ability - I think we have a chance to keep him here for a long time," Bobinski said.

Uncharted waters

That is where Xavier's conference affiliation comes into play. Had the Musketeers been invited to join the Big East, it would have been difficult for another institution to offer Matta the prospect of playing in a better conference. But the Big East shied away from adding Atlantic 10 teams, leaving the A-10 to scoop up Charlotte and Saint Louis and entrenching the Atlantic 10's place just outside the big six conferences. It was a necessary step forward, said Bobinski, who remains committed to keeping Xavier at the bargaining table if the Big East's tenuous relationship between football and basketball schools yields more realignment. The new agreement allows for the football programs to "review" the situation in 2010.

"There are consolidations and changes as circumstances shift and evolve over a period of time," Bobinski said. "I think that will continue to happen. As long as we do what we're supposed to do and take care of our own situation ... we will end up in the right place for Xavier."

Xavier isn't about to complain about the Atlantic 10, though. The conference sent three teams to the NCAA Tournament last season and should get as many, if not more, into the NCAA this season. Concerns do remain, however, about teams at the bottom of the league, particularly Fordham and Duquesne.

"We overanalyze our league to a fault," Bobinski said. "But when you really step back, we're harder on ourselves than the rest of the world is from a basketball perspective. That being said, we can clearly be better. The minute you stop trying to get everyone better, then you're going backward."

E-mail ddow@enquirer.com