Sunday, November 19, 2000
Xavier-Miami notebook
Dominant West lives up to billing
By Neil Schmidt and John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Miami coach Charlie Coles checked David West's line in the box score and sighed. “I'm glad he's a senior, right?”
Coles was kidding — the Xavier center is only a sophomore. West had game highs of 17 points and 13 rebounds Saturday.
“They should start skipping grades like in elementary school and make him a senior right now,” Coles said.
West had nine points and 10 rebounds in the first half, when XU took a 17-point lead. At that point, opposing center Rich Allendorf had just four points and three fouls.
“I'm hyped up for this year,” West said. “I've been looking forward to this. I've definitely improved.”
XU coach Skip Prosser has been adamant about his players looking inside first. West showed some new tricks, including an improved 15-foot jumper and a nice fadeaway move.
“He looks like he's going to be another in their long list of (NBA big men): Brian Grant, Derek Strong, Aaron Williams and Tyrone Hill,” Coles said.
West was limping afterward, showing the effects of tendinitis in his left knee.
“I'm surprised he played as well as he did,” Prosser said. “His tendinitis is an ongoing concern.”
PRICE SITS: XU junior forward Lloyd Price, who sprained his left ankle Thursday in practice, didn't dress for Saturday's game.
“I can't plant it,” he said. “But it's a lot better, because (Thursday) I couldn't even walk. It hurts me to miss this.”
SLOW MO: XU senior guard Maurice McAfee struggled with seven turnovers. He scored just three points, though he added four rebounds, four steals and three assists.
“"Mo' has been an incredible leader the whole preseason,” Prosser said. “When he watches this tape, he'll be disappointed. But he's going to have an incredible senior year. I believe in him, and his teammates believe in him.”
BRIGHT SPOT: Miami freshman Julius Johnson had a good debut. He scored 12 points on 6-of-11 shooting, grabbed three rebounds and had three assists and no turnovers.
“It was OK,” Johnson said. “I've got a lot to learn. I'm not satisfied.”
Johnson was the Division II Ohio player of year last season and led Warrensville Heights to the state championship.
“Juluis loves the game,” Coles said. “He wants to win more than any freshman I've ever had.”
BIG RICH:llendorf led Miami in scoring with 14 points. It was the first time the 6-foot-10 senior from St.Xavier has done that. It was only the fourth time he scored in double figures.
SHORTS BACK: Coles said Alex Shorts probably will play Thursday when the RedHawks take on Memphis in the Puerto Rico Shootout. Shorts has been out with a sprained ankle since Oct.27.
X-FILES: XU extended a long-dormant on-campus winning streak to 18 games. XU won its last 17 games in Schmidt Fieldhouse. Its last on-campus loss was an 82-80 defeat by Loyola (Ill.) on Feb.15, 1982.
XU has won 27 consecutive home games against nonconference opponents. Its last such loss was a 99-90 defeat by Cincinnati on Jan.17, 1996.
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