If he knows you, Romain Sato shakes your hand most times he walks by. His hobby is reading the Bible. He answers admonitions from his coaches by saying, “Thank you.”

        All of which is to say that turning the Xavier sophomore into an on-court killer remains a work in progress.

        But it's working. Wednesday, Duquesne's Tyler Bluemling started hanging over his back, and Sato cracked an elbow back at him.

        “That's good,” said XU radio analyst Byron Larkin, the program's all-time top scorer. “You want some nastiness on the court. Having an attacking mentality gives you the edge. All great players just want to cut your heart out, and he's getting a little more like that.”

        Sato has been plenty aggressive about filling the scorebook. He leads the team in scoring (19.6) in Atlantic 10 play, showcasing an all-around game that was merely a rumor last season.

        “I'm a huge Sato fan,” said Richmond coach John Beilein, who will face XU for the second time Saturday. “At this point, I'd vote him first-team all-league.”

        In A-10 play, Sato ranks fifth in scoring, tied for first in field goal percentage with LaSalle center Reggie Okosa (54.5 percent), first in 3-pointers made (3.6 per game), sixth in 3-point shooting (48.3 percent) and 11th in rebounding (7.0).

        On the season, Sato's 46.5 percent shooting ranks second in the league behind only teammate David West (55.3 percent). Not bad for a shooting guard.

        He has done this while acting as the defensive stopper, assigned nightly to guard the opponent's top scorer. A month ago, Sato dismissed a mild slump by suggesting his offense wasn't essential: “I'm trying to be the best defender I can. Because I'm not going to be the best scorer on the team.”

        Yet, since he said that, he has been.

        Why? To hear him tell it, it's as simple as being rested and relaxed.

        “My freshman year I'm so busy, but now I feel comfortable,” he said. “I get more sleep. I feel confident. I feel like it's just a game, you know — just basketball.”

        Sato has less classwork and, possibly, less pressure. The coaching staff told him they wanted him to worry only about defense and not to get gun-shy if he missed a few shots.

        “We just assured him of our confidence in him,” XU coach Thad Matta said.

        Sato, who averaged 11.6 points in the nonconference season, seemed to be sparked by two factors.

        First was the loss to Cincinnati, in which West played just 23 minutes because of injury and the Musketeers turned to Sato as a top option. He drove harder to the basket than ever before, scoring 15 points. He didn't back down from the Bearcats, earning a technical foul for a shove and fouling out for the first time in his career. XU is 11-0 since.

        Second was winter break, when Sato volunteered for extra individual workouts with the coaches. He emerged with a dominant 19-point, 15-rebound game at Dayton and hasn't cooled off since.

        Now the player who last winter took 71 percent of his field goal tries from behind the 3-point line takes just 55 percent of his shots from that distance. Aggressive? He leads the team in fouls (53) and is second in blocks (16).

        “Last year I think he shied away from contact. This year he's seeking it out,” Larkin said.

        The net result: XU now has someone who can lessen the defensive focus on West.

        “It gives us a great second option other than Dave,” XU senior forward Kevin Frey said. “And right now, I don't know if you can consider it a second option.”

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