Heroes get remembered, but legends never die: The Trevon Bluiett Legacy

Without question, Trevon Bluiett has left an indelible mark on the course of Xavier basketball history. As a four-year starter, he was a catalyst that helped elevate Xavier to perennial Top 25 status. He was humble, well spoken and was well respected by the Xavier fan base. A player like Bluiett is a rare commodity—replicating his elite status would truly take a special player, because that’s just how illustrious his Xavier career was. He proved to be the hero on several occasions throughout his career, but Bluiett will ultimately be a legend for the Xavier basketball program.

Bluiett, a highly touted four-star recruit, originally committed to play for the UCLA Bruins, but then later re-opened his commitment. The Indianapolis native turned down offers from major in-state powerhouses like Indiana, Butler, and Purdue. Instead, he chose to attend Xavier University, still in its infancy as a “high-major” entering just its second season in the re-envisioned Big East Conference for the 2014-15 season. With that decision, he joined a group of other talented players, most notably fellow seniors J.P. Macura and Sean O’Mara along with former point guard and now NBA player Edmond Sumner. This recruiting class, under the tutelage of Xavier alum Chris Mack, laid the foundation for successful years to come.

The young Bluiett played a key role on a Xavier team that during his freshman year, made a Sweet 16 appearance. Bluiett became a staple in the Musketeers lineup starting 32 out of 37 games and finishing the year as the team’s second-highest scorer averaging 11 points along with four rebounds per game.

Those numbers moved in a positive direction the next season as Bluiett emerged as Xavier’s go-to scorer averaging 15 points per game and six rebounds per game. This deep Musketeers squad proved to be one of the best in recent years and went into the NCAA Tournament as a No. 2 seed, only to be knocked off by the Wisconsin Badgers in the Round of 32. Bluiett first tested the NBA Draft waters after the conclusion of the 2015-16 season but ultimately made his return to Cincinnati for his junior season.

Despite battling a nagging ankle injury he sustained during the season, Bluiett had yet another stellar campaign his junior year. This season marked a career-high in points for Bluiett, who dropped a whopping 40 points in the Crosstown Shootout against Cincinnati. He once again led the Musketeers in scoring increasing his average point total to 18.5 points per game.

Xavier’s tournament hopes looked bleak after the Musketeers dropped six out of their last seven contests to finish the season. However, Xavier went onto defeat the No. 2 seed Butler in the Big East Tournament. This proved to be a deciding factor for Xavier, who was selected as a No. 11 seed in the big dance. In the Big Dance, Bluiett went on a tear scoring 21 points, 29 points, and 25 points in the upsets against the No. 6 seed Maryland, the No. 3 seed Florida State and the No. 2 seed Arizona. After the best season of his career at the time, the speculation was that Bluiett would leave Xavier to fully declare for the NBA Draft, but once again, he returned for unfinished business in his fourth and final season as a Musketeer.

And to an extent, he received closure for that unfinished business being the spark plug to arguably Xavier’s best team ever, leading them to its first-ever Big East regular-season title. In his senior season, Bluiett put up some of his best offensive numbers in a Xavier uniform: 19.3 points per game and 676 total points.

Deservedly so, Bluiett ended his career racking up numerous personal accolades. For the third consecutive year, he was named to the All-Big East First Team. Most importantly, he became a member of the 2,000 point club and ended his career as the program’s second all-time leading scorer with 2,261 points. That tally is behind a nearly unattainable mark set by another Xavier great in Byron Larkin with 2,696 total points. During his senior campaign, Bluiett became first all-time in program history in three-pointers made (319) and in a single season (105).

Bluiett’s career stats are extremely telling of his time spent in a Xavier uniform. He averaged nearly 16 points per game and grabbed five rebounds per game throughout his career. Better yet, his play was marked by an innate degree of unselfishness and efficiency; He averaged just under 12 shots per game over a four-year span and shot 43 percent from the field and 38 percent from deep.

Known for his quick release and prolific penchant for scoring the basketball, Bluiett was a dangerous marksman from beyond the three-point line. In fact, half of his shots taken throughout the course of his Xavier career were taken from long range. He was also a workhorse for Xavier, starting 135 games in 142 possible games.

In the hearts of Xavier students and fans alike, No. 5 will never be forgotten. His impact on the program went well beyond his domination of the hardwood and as time goes on, he will be remembered as one of the most successful players ever to don the Xavier jersey. Perhaps his legacy will be stamped with another career milestone: becoming a member of the Xavier Hall of Fame. One thing is for certain, however—Trevon Bluiett is truly a one-of-a-kind player and players like that don’t come around too often.