Two months ago, Xavier head men’s basketball coach Sean Miller called Trey Green “one of the best shooters in the country,” after the Musketeers played in the Baha Mar Hoops Summer League.
Xavier fans got a first-hand look at why Miller sang the praises of the freshman guard Friday night at Cintas Center in the annual Musketeer Tip-Off.
More: Xavier basketball notebook: Musketeers Tip-Off on Friday, who is Sean Miller’s starting 5?
Green poured in a team-high 16 points, going 4-for-8 from beyond the arc, and dished out a game-high nine assists to lead Xavier Blue to a 74-60 win over Xavier White in a scrimmage between the men’s club. Green, who has looked comfortable in fall practices running the offense, proved why he’s one of the top freshmen candidates to make a first-year impact for the Musketeers on a roster with 10 new players.
Green helped lead Xavier Blue on a 21-7 run to end the first half to take a 42-26 lead into the intermission on a night where both offenses started slow.
Xavier led by its guards
As expected, Xavier’s backcourt led the way for both teams. The Musketeers’ group of guards is forecasted to be the team’s strength this winter.
Desmond Claude, who is expected to take the leap into one of the Big East’s top players, scored 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting and was able to get to the line and connect on all four attempts for Xavier Blue.
Xavier White struggled offensively, shooting just 36.7% from the field (22-of-60). Guard Kam Craft, one of just two returners from last year’s team who is coming off a season-ending knee injury, tallied a game-high 17 points, going 4-for-8 from downtown.
Freshman Dailyn Swain turned in a solid all-around performance with 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting, five rebounds, three steals and five assists.
How did Xavier transfers perform?
Miller values the Division I college basketball experience of Xavier’s three transfers, guards Dayvion McKnight and Quincy Olivari along with forward Abou Ousmane. On Friday, McKnight and Olivari teamed up on Xavier White but combined for just 17 points on 6-of-29 shooting. Olivari, who grabbed five rebounds, connected from deep just once on seven attempts.
Ousmane was the lone Xavier player to notch a double-double, scoring 13 points (6-of-10 shooting) and grabbing 11 rebounds. He was frequently matched up against freshman Kachi Nzeh of Xavier White, who pulled down a team-high nine rebounds.
International additions shine for Xavier
The first half of the Blue-White scrimmage was the Trey Green Show. The second half belonged to Lazar Djokovic, a 6-foot-10 forward from Serbia who Xavier added in mid-August. Djokovic, who could slot into Xavier’s starting rotation, scored all 13 of his points in the second half. The versatile big man went 5-for-9 from the floor, including 2-for-2 from the perimeter, and grabbed seven rebounds.
Forward Gytis Nemeiksa finished one rebound shy of a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds for Xavier Blue.
Xavier women’s basketball opens Friday festivities
The Xavier women’s basketball team was the first to be announced at Cintas Center Friday night as the Musketeers enter the 2023-24 campaign eager to rebuild in the right direction.
First-year head coach Billi Chambers took over the program in April after spending the last 10 seasons at Iona, where she led the Gaels to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances and was a two-time Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Coach of the Year.
The Xavier women’s basketball program has had just two winning seasons since going to the NCAA Tournament in five straight years from 2007-2011.
Redshirt freshman guard Aizhanique Mayo won the 3-point shooting contest between four members of the team Friday night, sinking 13 from deep.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Xavier basketball freshman Trey Green shines in Musketeer Tip-Off
