The Xavier men's basketball team could be short on big men this winter. But next season will bring a glut of giants. With a verbal commitment from junior-college power forward Anthony Myles, XU coach Thad Matta has completed his first recruiting class. Four of his five recruits are post players.

        “If they wanted to rebuild their front court, they were able to do it and do it in a year when that wasn't easy,” said Dave Telep of BlueChipHoops.com. “... There isn't another school in the country that got four post guys. Not only that, but they got guys who are pretty good.”

        The 6-foot-9, 235-pound Myles, a Chicago native playing at Olney (Ill.) Central College, joins 6-10, 235-pound junior-college forward/center Randy Holbrook; 6-8, 210-pound forward/center Angelo Smith; and 6-7, 225-pound power forward Brandon Cole. The other signee is 6-foot point guard Dedrick Finn.

        Future Stars publisher Van Coleman rates Holbrook No.4 and Myles No.17 among junior-college power forwards. Finn is a consensus top-100 prep player.

        Recruiting analysts are praising Matta for a group — just the second five-man class completed, after Duke — that may rank in the top 25 in many lists.

        “It's a great first year of recruiting,” Telep said.

        Myles averaged 11 points and eight rebounds last season. He visited XU last weekend, picking it over Illinois, Oklahoma State and Dayton.

        “In their program, all the power forwards are successful,” Myles said of XU.

        A rash of defections and the NCAA's ruling that freshman Will Caudle is ineligible leaves XU with just nine scholarship players this season, pending an appeal of Caudle's status. The starting big men are both coming off surgeries — David West's toe, Kevin Frey's ankle — and the only other scholarship post player is freshman Anthony Coleman.

        Frey is a senior, and XU might lose West early to the NBA, so this inside-oriented recruiting addresses concerns for the 2002-03 season.

        “Where it's really important is, they can get a head start on (recruiting) the junior class,” Hoop Scoop publisher Clark Francis said.

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