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While it was a rather brief interview with Xavier senior forward James Farr, what was said was insightful on both his career so far with the Musketeers and what this team can do this season. The Musketeers are dealing with the absences of both Matt Stainbrook and Dee Davis this coming year, as the pair of sensational players departed via graduation.
Farr though remains confident with the core that remains intact in Cincinnati.
Xavier coach Mack talks forward thinking, Bluiett, and who steps up in Stainbrook's absence
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BECB's Christopher Novak talked to Musketeers head coach Chris Mack at Big East Media Day on Wednesday in New York City.
"Oh yeah we have a great core," Farr said. "You know, with me and Remy being seniors, we have been around Matt for about three years and I've been around Dee for about three years, so I've learned so much in seeing how they lead the team. How they lead our team to the Sweet Sixteen."
"We had a bumpy road last season, but we still had a good ending. Still went to a Sweet Sixteen. Were the last team standing from the Big East. So I mean, we just learned a lot from those guys and hopefully we can step in for them and shine like they did for us last year. I feel really good about this team."
Speaking the end of last season, that final run in the postseason and the game against Arizona helped the learning curve for this team this season, as Farr would remark.
"Most definitely," he said. "We have a pretty young group so when they saw how adapt and how to play defense and limit turnovers and to just keep a positive energy about yourself."
On the topic of Xavier's nonconference schedule, Farr praised the teams that lied ahead for X but is a firm believer that it will test them well enough for their Big East opener against preseason favorite Villanova.
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"By far, we have a really...pretty tough non-conference schedule. You know we open up with Villanova at Villanova on New Years Eve, so I feel like that's going to help us get ready for that," Farr articulated.
"So I mean you gotta take it for what it is and you know you gotta be ready because it's only going to get harder going into the conference."