Paul Scruggs announced Friday that he will take advantage of the free year of eligibility offered by the NCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic and return to Xavier's men's basketball team for another season in 2021-22 as a fifth-year senior.
Scruggs will become the first player in Xavier men's basketball history to play five full seasons without redshirting, according to the school.
Scruggs, a second-team All-Big East Conference selection last season, averaged 14.0 points and 5.7 assists per game, both of which were career-highs.
More:The most pressing offseason plans for Xavier basketball heading into the 2021-22 season
With his decision to return, Scruggs followed in the footsteps of senior teammate Nate Johnson, who announced a few weeks ago that he'll also return next season.
The return of Scruggs is a seismic shift in terms of what the Musketeers will look like next season. He was the most experienced player on the roster last season, and having him back is big for Xavier's hopes of competing in the Big East and getting back to the NCAA Tournament.
Coaches like when the roster gets older and with Scruggs back, Xavier has a nice experienced group that played together last season and suffered the same disappointing ending.
With Scruggs back in the fold, Xavier has its top six scorers all back next season.
In total, next season the Musketeers return 1,166 points (out of 1,571 scored last season) and six of their top seven players in terms of minutes played.
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