Monday, January 08, 2001
Xavier Notebook
McAfee is winning the battle
By Neil Schmidt
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Sunday typified the tough assignment Maurice McAfee has had this year.
There he was getting banged to the floor on a drive inside. Then guarding La Salle forward Victor Thomas, seven inches taller than him. Then getting an elbow to the jaw, yet refusing to leave the court.
Only this time, Xavier's senior captain shone through. McAfee's career-high 12 assists sparked his second consecutive strong showing.
“My game's coming around,” McAfee said.
Sunday, he was named Atlantic 10 Player of the Week for his 26-point, six-assist effort last Wednesday at Fordham. Then he produced this line against La Salle: 12 points, 12 assists, a steal and just two turnovers.
Though he's scoring less than last year, when he led the team at 15.1 points per game, McAfee is cultivating other roles.
“The assist (total) says my teammates are finishing the plays, and hopefully that I'm displaying the leadership that I need to get the job done,” he said.
He now has 56 assists and 35 turnovers, a 1.6-to-1 ratio which ranks 10th in the A-10. That's much improved on his 1.1 ratio of last year.
The 6-foot McAfee has often played out of position, including time at small forward. Sunday, after Thomas had scored 13 points, McAfee was switched onto him, and Thomas didn't score for 14 minutes.
A week ago, McAfee was averaging 6.9 points, shooting .299 from the field and .188 on 3-pointers. In the past two games, he has averaged 19 points, shooting .524 from the field and .571 on 3-pointers.
RANKING UNLIKELY: Don't expect this to be the week XU ends its Top 25 drought. Few teams ranked above it lost last week. The Muskies remained 27th in the USA Today/ESPN poll. The Associated Press poll is released today.
On the other hand, XU is rising in the power ratings. XU entered play Sunday 19th in the RPI and 17th in the Sagarins. Its RPI strength of schedule is 42nd, and it is 7-2 against Top 100-RPI teams.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: Prosser, describing the memory of the 80-49 home loss last year to La Salle: “We're all pretty competitive. And if somebody beats you by five touchdowns, that's going to stick with you. It's no fun getting your head handed to you.”
UP NEXT: XU plays host to Massachusetts (3-9, 1-0 A-10) at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. The Minutemen played the nation's second-toughest non-conference schedule according to the RPI, but they won their A-10 opener 76-60 Saturday over George Washington.
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McAfee is winning the battle
