Questions & AnswersSometimes the best way to tell a story is to let the interviewee speak freely.
From email exchanges to sit-down interviews, here are some of my Q&As. |
Stan Kimbrough Stan Kimbrough's fingernails have been the stuff of legends for years but I never knew if the stories were true. Did he actually grow out his nails out to irritate teammate Byron Larkin? Use them as a defense mechanism to heighten his defense? The Musketeers Hall of Famer addressed Nailgate (and a bunch of other stuff) in this wide-ranging Q&A. Photo / Xavier Athletics 
Derek Strong
It has been 30 years since Derek Strong helped Xavier to a program-first Sweet 16. Since then he has retired from a long professional basketball career, dabbled in stock car racing and cultivated a family. We revisit some of his Musketeers memories and find out what he's doing now. Photo / Xavier Athletics 
Joe Zerhusen The voice of Great American Ball Park is doing well health-wise after beating throat cancer in 2017 but what about life, for now, without live baseball? Joe Z gave us a glimpse of the work he's still doing and shared his optimism about the 2020 Reds. 
Anthony Munoz
The residual checks still come a few times a year — 60 bucks here, 70 bucks there — for a movie part Anthony Muñoz played 37 years ago. Every time “The Right Stuff” is shown internationally, the Pro Football Hall of Famer receives a financial reminder of his minor role in the 1983 historical drama about the original Mercury 7 astronauts. 
Zach Hankins Life in the professional ranks has been good for Zach Hankins, who started his basketball career in the Czech Republic with ERA Basketball Nymburk. His rookie season was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic but he has high hopes for seasons to come. And does he still raise the roof after dunks? You betcha. 
Ryan Welage While waiting out the coronavirus quarantine, Ryan Welage chatted about life after basketball and his decision to attend medical school. He still misses the game - and those Cintas Center crowds - but has found peace with his calling to become a doctor. 
Justin Doellman After a 12-year professional basketball career in France and Spain, Justin Doellman is living the good life as a retired 34-year-old stay-at-home dad. What's new with this Xavier Athletics Hall of Famer? What isn't! Catch up with this 2007 Musketeers grad. 
James Farr
The last time James Farr frequented Cintas Center was his senior year in 2016, so imagine his surprise when he saw all the additions and renovations upon his return for the 2019 Crosstown Shootout. Farr, one of XU's self-made players, sat down for a Q&A about life in professional basketball and what the Musketeers meant to him. 
Kyle Castlin
He spent just one season with Xavier as a grad transfer but Kyle Castlin said he found a new family along the way. Now, with visions of a professional career, the guard hopes to take his hoops game for a spin on a new stage. 
Brian Grant
Brian Grant may be retired but he's still busy. The 12-year NBA pro continues to advocate for Parkinson's disease education and treatment through the Brian Grant Foundation while managing the effects of his own battle with the progressive neurological condition. Grant, whose retired No. 33 jersey hangs from Cintas Center's rafters, has plenty more he wants to accomplish off the basketball court. 
Dee Davis
Seems like just yesterday that point guard Dee Davis was playing his way into Xavier's record books - but he's about to play his fifth season of professional basketball. Davis stopped by a Musketeers pre-Spain practice and reminisced about some of the good old days (like the 2015 Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout), the teammates he still keeps up with, and his plans for the future. 
Joe Sunderman
The Xavier Hall of Famer isn't a fan of the spotlight, but he made an exception to reminisce about his playing days, expound on his radio show preparations and discuss his long friendship with fellow HOF-er Byron Larkin. Here's an interesting nugget: Sunderman missed the last seven games of his Xavier hoops career due to a thumb injury. How'd he get hurt? Let's just say it involves a train. 
Brian Thornton
An injury cut short Brian Thornton's final season at Xavier but the former Musketeers big man has stayed close to basketball ever since, from playing abroad to joining the coaching ranks at Xavier, Furman, Winthrop and Ball State. Now he works for the NCAA. Through it all, Xavier still holds a special place in his heart. 
Bob Staak
Imagine running into the former Xavier coach at a Greensboro Swarm/Wisconsin Herd G League game. That's exactly where he was in December while scouting for the Miami Heat. Staak coached at Xavier from 1979 to 1985 and led the program into the Midwestern City Conference. Although he lives near Charlotte, he said he still keeps tabs on the Musketeers. He reminisced about his time in Cincinnati. 
Malcolm Bernard
This 6-foot-6 former Xavier grad transfer loves coming back to Cintas Center, his home away from home. Bernard has had a nomadic life since college, with two stops before his finale at XU, but the Elite Eight season and the people that make the program will always be special to him. 
Sean O'Mara Life after Xavier has been an adventure for the big man, who's thriving in Finland despite frigid conditions, long nights and the distance from home. He's learning to cook and playing well for BC Nokia. Step into his shoes and find out why he may never eat a potato again. Photo / BC Nokia 
Jonas Hayes It has been a tough season for Xavier hoops, but don't think that's getting this assistant coach down. The gregarious Hayes, who's nicknamed "Reverend" by players for his outlooks and philosophies, expounds on human connections, the power of positive thinking, and the value of hard work. Photo / Xavier 
Kerem Kanter
This former grad transfer returned to Cintas Center to watch his first post-college Xavier basketball game in person. He talked about everything from professional hoops to his Big East championship ring, and how he tried to get J.P. Macura off his back. Literally. 
Justin Cage He has never watched a replay of the overtime loss to Ohio State in the 2007 NCAA Tournament. But he sees it regards it differently now, through the eyes of a 33-year-old who has been through much more in life. He’s a newlywed, a father, and a professional basketball player in Belgium. 
Tu Holloway This point guard was a warrior during his Musketeers days and took his talents abroad following his 2012 graduation. He was playing professionally, in fact, when he was inducted into the Xavier Athletic Hall of Fame in December of 2017. Now a citizen of the world, Holloway shared his favorite place on earth and how he acquired the toughness that shaped him. 
Remy Abell
Remember when Abell transferred from Indiana? Remember when he tried out for the Bengals after college? There's never a dull moment with Abell, who said in his Q&A what he'd like to do next after playing professionally - and what it was like to defend Bronson Koenig on the 3-point buzzer beater in the 2016 NCAA Tournament. 
RaShid Gaston He's still afraid of spiders but he's loving life in France, where he has played for three teams. Gaston is still working on his French but he's loving the professional game and living in suburban Paris. 
Josh Duncan Josh Duncan played some of his best college basketball in the last weeks of his senior season. He helped Xavier to an Elite Eight and still ranks among the program's Top 30 all-time scorers (No. 29 with 1,210 points) after averaging 9.5 points and 3.7 rebounds during his career from 2004-2008. 
Steve Thomas They don't make athletes like Steve Thomas anymore. He scored 1,722 points in 73 games at Xavier in the 1960s. The XU Hall of Famer dropped 50 in one game. 
Dante Jackson
Few have seen the Skyline Crosstown Shootout from the lens of this former Xavier player. Dante Jackson learned about it as a recruit, went 3-1 against UC as a Xavier player and prepared Musketeers’ squads for two years as a graduate assistant. Always candid, always entertaining, Jackson did a Q&A ahead of the game as an assistant coach. 
Darnell Williams Darnell Williams returned to town for his Xavier Hall of Fame enshrinement and spoke of his love for the late Skip Prosser, Crosstown Shootouts past and his favorite Musketeers memories. 
Travis Steele Four days into his head coaching tenure at Xavier, Steele discussed his vision for the program and schematic changes for 2018-19. "I want to fully maximize our team’s potential, whatever it is," Steele said. |
