The silver lining

The cup of coffee the morning after the end of a season is never an easy one to swallow for a head coach.
For Sean Miller, the cup of Joe might be easier to enjoy this morning, however, knowing that his Musketeers exceeded many expectations by reaching their third NCAA Sweet Sixteen in six years.
While the disappointment of squandering multiple opportunities to win their regional semifinal matchup with Pittsburgh certainly stings for Xavier, they can be comforted by a look into the future.
Simply glancing at the box score after the loss to the Panthers, one finds six underclassmen for Xavier playing double-digit minutes, including two freshmen and two sophomores.
If redshirt junior forward Derrick Brown decides to forgo the NBA and return to Xavier for his senior season then the Musketeers figure to be a legitimate title contender.
Brown is likely to return to Xavier if he is not slated to be among the top 15 picks in the 2009 NBA Draft, a position that he is likely on the verge of as the season concludes, and that he undoubtedly would have improved had Xavier been able to afford him added exposure against prime talent in a Final Four run. Brown will likely draw an invite to the NBA predaft camps, and get an opinion from NBA scouts on what he needs to work on--presumably added aggressiveness on the offensive end, among other things. Whether that recommendation comes with an endorsement of a top 15 guarantee will be the main question, however.
If Brown does return to Norwood for a shot to improve upon back-to-back trips to the NCAA second weekend, he will have a strong supporting cast.
Along with the maturing group of role players from this season's Sweet Sixteen bunch, the Musketeers are overhauling their backcourt that served as the Achilles heal of the 08-09 squad by adding two key members: Jordan Crawford, a 6'4" transfer from Indiana who averaged 9.4 points per game as a freshman with the Hoosiers in 2007-08, and Mark Lyons, an athletic 6'1" freshman defensive specialist who was forced to sit out the 08-09 season after being a partial qualifier out of high school.
When added to Kevin Parrom, a small forward that Rivals.com ranked No. 84 in the class of 2009, and whomever Miller is able to land with the final scholarship opening available (or multiple openings if any of the current scholarship players decide to transfer) the Musketeers will have a stout group of newcomers to add to a Sweet Sixteen-worthy core.
"Some people tell me that I have two of everything [on the 2008-09 team]. I don't know about that, but if you look ahead to next year, we really will have two of everything," Miller said with a smile in February of 2009.
So as the Musketeers head back to Cincinnati this afternoon, they do so with a sense of disappointment at a lost opportunity, but also hope at the potential for greater achievements in the months ahead.