By Dustin Dow
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Leadership qualities are not passed from one departing senior to the next.

If they were, Xavier University still would be reveling in David West's stern but motivating command even without his physical presence.

As it is, Xavier is 10-6 and 2-2 in the Atlantic 10 while its veteran leadership continues to develop, particularly in senior Lionel Chalmers.

Beginning with today's 2 p.m. game against Richmond (10-8, 2-3) at Cintas Center, Xavier begins a run of four games in 10 days where Chalmers' experience as a fifth-year senior will factor into whether Xavier contends for an NCAA Tournament bid.

Chalmers is the core around which XU's team revolves. He is the director on the court and the team spokesman off it. His control over team chemistry has spurred Xavier to a resurgent January after a disappointing December.

"He's a guy that's been through these battles," Xavier coach Thad Matta said. "And he not only leads by example, but he helps the other guys through a lot."

It is not an easy task, which Chalmers has learned this season. Losses have weighed more heavily on him than in the past, and because of his responsibility on the court, his mistakes become amplified.

"I am a leader on the court and demanding the most out of the guys," Chalmers said.

"And I am taking the heat when we lose, so it's a tough situation sometimes. But I'm here for it, and I love it."

Chalmers has been successful on the court, for the most part, this season. Playing an aggressive style, he is second on the team in scoring, steals and assists. But he also has played frustratingly inconsistent at times, seemingly unaware of game situations.

His decision-making as a ball handler and a defender will be tested as Xavier plays Richmond, at George Washington, at Dayton and against Cincinnati in the next 10 days. It's a gauntlet-style stretch where the four teams average a rating of 48 in the Ratings Percentage Index. Afterward, Xavier will know if it's in position to challenge for an NCAA Tournament at-large bid as well as an Atlantic 10 title.

"That's tough," Chalmers said. "As a leader, I have to show no signs of weakness from that. No signs of it being a tough road trip. They feed off me."

That is where Chalmers has demonstrated the most improvement, in communicating with teammates.

Players had been saying they were waiting for him to take charge of the team when Xavier struggled early on, losing four of six games from Nov. 25-Dec. 23. Since then, Xavier has won five of seven games and Chalmers has become a more reliable leader.

"We need him to lead this team and be that senior that he is," fellow senior Anthony Myles said. "Now he's stepped it up a lot, and we've been trying to follow his lead. The last couple of games, he's been open and opinionated.

"He knows what's ahead and how to win. He had been doing it, but I think he needs to give us a little more."

Xavier has played its best basketball of the season in January, despite two straight losses to Duquesne and Saint Joseph's.

Now, Xavier is at a juncture where it's chance for winning a third straight Atlantic 10 West title balances on its ability to perform well without much time for preparation.

"I've been around for five years," Chalmers said. "I think I have a good understanding of what it takes to win championships, especially, Atlantic 10 championships. In order to be a good leader, guys have to feed into it and listen and understand.

"It's a challenge, because it takes doing it all the time. It's not something that you can turn on and off. Its a challenge, but that's what I'm here for."

Xavier vs. Richmond

Tipoff: 2 p.m. today, Cintas Center (10,250).

Records: Xavier 10-6 (2-2 Atlantic 10), Richmond 10-8 (2-3).

Radio: WLW-AM (700).

TV: Fox Sports Net Ohio.

Series: Xavier leads 4-1.

Line: Xavier by 7 1/2 .

XAVIER

Player	Yr.	Ht.	PPG
Anthony Myles	Sr.	6-9	9.6
Justin Doellman	Fr.	6-9	6.3
Lionel Chalmers	Sr.	6-0	15.0
Romain Sato	Sr.	6-5	16.6
Dedrick Finn	So.	6-1	9.3

Coach: Thad Matta (62-18, third season; 86-26 overall).

RICHMOND

Player	Yr.	Ht.	PPG
Mike Skrocki	Sr.	6-6	16.8
Patrick O'Malley	Jr.	6-8	4.2
Kevin Steenberge	So.	6-11	4.2
Tony Dobbins	Sr.	6-4	11.1
Reggie Brown	Sr.	6-4	7.4

Coach: Jerry Wainwright (26-21, second season; 162-124 overall).

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E-mail ddow@enquirer.com