Former Xavier guard Mark Lyons is focusing on three schools and is in the process of setting up visits.

“I’m thinking [about] UK, Arizona and Kansas,” he told SNY.tv Monday by phone.

No visits are currently set up for the junior transfer.

“Not right now,” he said. “I’m in the process of that. I’m also taking finals right now so I’m also trying to finish that up.” (more…)

Chris Thomas chose Xavier earlier this month largely because of his relationship with assistant coach Rasheen Davis.

But now Davis is on the move to Manhattan, which begs the question, What does that mean for Chris Thomas?

“He is still committed to Xavier and will continue to be for now,” his grandmother, Latonia Smith, told SNY.tv by text Saturday night.

The talented, yet enigmatic Thomas is  the Rivals No. 1 shooting guard in the Class of 2013. (more…)

Over the last couple of days, UConn junior power forward Alex Oriakhi met at his Lowell, Mass., home with Kentucky coach John Calipari, Xavier coach Chris Mack and Missouri coach Frank Haith.

Oriakhi later confirmed a report by CBSSports.com that he plans to visit Missouri next weekend (April 13) and Kentucky the following weekend.

Kentucky, Xavier and Missouri are offering major playing time next season, Oriakhi told SNY.tv, and he is also considering North Carolina and Duke.

As for the visit with Calipari, Oriakhi said: “It went real well. Coach Calipari, he broke it down for me. He told me he wasn’t going to promise me anything, which I like. He’s not going to promise me anything. (more…)

Chris Thomas, the Rivals No. 1 shooting guard in the Class of 2013, has committed to Xavier.

He will have three years of eligibility beginning in 2013.

“I think it came down to his relationship with Coach [Rasheen] Davis the past few years,” Chipola (Fla) College assistant Pat Blake told SNY.tv . “With all the moving around that Chris has done, I think Coach Davis had been the consistent presence and consistent coach in his life.

“To me, there wasn’t really ever another school in the picture.”

Thomas is currently at Chipola but he sat out this season after making previous stops in his home state of Colorado, Bowie (Md.) Princeton Day, Phoenix (Ariz.) Westwind Prep and South Kent (Conn.). He will suit up next season. (more…)

Three schools are working the hardest on Chris Thomas, the Rivals No. 1 shooting guard in the Class of 2013.

“Xavier, Missouri and Iowa State,” Latonia Smith, Thomas’ grandmother, told SNY.tv Thursday by text.

Asked if Kentucky or Seton Hall were involved, Smith added, “I haven’t spoken to a coach from those universities in months.” (more…)

Sean Miller wanted to defend his former guys at Xavier.

Instead, he ended up appearing to condone their bloody brawl Saturday with Cincinnati that left eight players on both teams suspended.

Now, the Arizona coach is backtracking. In a big way.

“I made comments following our win Saturday over Clemson regarding my former team, Xavier University,” he said in a statement. “These remarks were in response to a question as to whether I have been following Xavier’s on-the-court successes this season.  My comments were directed toward my admiration of their on-the-court toughness and their respective approach to giving great effort as a team. (more…)

Cincinnati and Xavier announced the suspensions of a combined eight players for their participation in Saturday’s bloody brawl at the conclusion of their men’s basketball game.

Cincinnati’s Yancy Gates, Octavius Ellis and Cheikh Mbodj will each be suspended for a total of six games — meaning they are out until the Jan. 4 Big East game against Notre Dame — and Ge’Lawn Guyn for one game.

The suspensions will take effect immediately and will be concurrent with the NCAA-standard one-game mandated suspensions that would be applied to Gates and Mbodj for ejections from the game for fighting. (more…)

The game between No. 8 Xavier and crosstown rival Cincinnati was called with Xavier up 76-53 and 9.4 seconds left when the teams got into a full-fledged brawl on court and the referees called it.

After Xavier’s Tu Holloway jawed with the Cincinnati bench, a brawl ensued. Cincinnati forward Yancy Gates unloaded a punch to Xavier center Kenny Frease’s face, and Cincy big man Cheikh Mbodj later stomped on Frease’s head. Frease was left with a cut under his left eye and blood pouring out.

Expect both to be suspended for a good while.

Xavier’s Mark Lyons and Dez Wells also threw punches. (more…)

Count Xavier assistant Rasheen Davis among the top recruiters in the nation.

Davis is the man responsible for getting Dakari Johnson, the No. 1 player in the Class of 2014 according to The Hoop Scoop, on campus for a second time this weekend. The news was first reported by Alex Kline of The Recruit Scoop.

Johnson is on campus Friday night for the game against Georgia while he visits family in the area, Montverde coach Kevin Boyle told SNY.tv. (more…)

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Xavier coach Chris Mack didn’t set up the schedule at the National Prep Showcase, but he might as well have.

Mack showed up on Saturday and got to watch all four Xavier pledges at the event in three successive games.

“It’s very convenient,” Mack told SNY.tv. “The fact that they play back-to-back-to-back, you’d almost think I coached the director into scheduling that way.”

Shooting guard Myles Davis played first on Saturday for Notre Dame Prep, followed by point guard Semaj Christon and power forward Jalen Reynolds of Brewster Academy, followed by power forward James Farr of Maine Central Institute. (more…)