A distinct and unmistakable roar welcomed Xavier head coach Sean Miller onto the floor Friday night when he was introduced for Musketeer Madness.
"This building, in the last 13 years I've been away and coaching in different places, no building has ever made me feel like the Cintas Center," Miller said, addressing the crowd, which showed its appreciation again.
Miller's team split up and played two 12-minute halves.
The Blue team consisted of Desmond Claude, Jerome Hunter, Adam Kunkel, Kam Craft, Jack Nunge and Cesare Edwards.
The White side was comprised of Colby Jones, Souley Boum, KyKy Tandy, Zach Freemantle, Dieonte Miles and Elijah Tucker.
White won it, 50-46, in a competitive game from start to finish.
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Boum, the UTEP transfer handling point guard duty for the Musketeers, turned heads and made the most profound statement with a game-high 16 points. Boum was 6-of-7 shooting and 4-for-4 from 3-point range. He drew five fouls and had three steals.
He was a constant spark that looked incredibly comfortable in a new environment. Boum was pretty relentless in the way he attacked offensively. If that's going to be his baseline demeanor this season then the Musketeers are going to be in good hands.
Boum's White team also benefitted from a nice night from KyKy Tandy, the evening's third-leading scorer with 9 points. Tandy attempted the most shots of the game with nine and hit four of those, including a 3-pointer, and most of them were quality shots. Maybe one or two were rushed or off-balance attempts.
Colby Jones and Zach Freemantle each had seven points and three assists. Both were relatively quiet, but efficient. Jones also knocked down the only 3-pointer he attempted.
Right behind Boum was Nunge for the Blue team with 13 points and four rebounds. Nunge threw down two alley-oop dunks from Kunkel, hit a 3 from the wing, and only missed one of the six shots he took.
Nunge looked like he did last season, if not better. His instincts and his ability to finish around the basket make a monumental difference for the Musketeers.
Kunkel got off to a great start with eight points in the first half and slowed down a bit in the second half, but he led the Blue side with three assists and continues to make a case as the best passer on this team.
Hunter matched Kunkel with eight points, four of which came at the foul line (4-for-4).
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Claude and Craft were teamed up together and they didn't jump off the page with their performances, but for two freshmen playing for the first time in front of Cintas Center fans, they definitely had their moments.
Craft didn't attempt a 3-pointer, but he showed his ability to attack off the dribble. Craft went 3-for-5 for six points with three rebounds and two steals.
Claude was 2-of-4 shooting. He took three 3's and hit one. Claude added two steals, two assists and two turnovers.
It was hard to get a sense of what can be expected from the rest of the frontcourt. Dieonte Miles had a few nice post moves, but along with Cesare Edwards and Elijah Tucker, there wasn't a lot that stood out.
It wasn't a polished product. It never is in October.
The Musketeers host Kentucky Wesleyan on Nov. 2 in a public exhibition game, followed by the season opener on Nov. 7 against Morgan State.
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