NEW YORK – It's hard to ignore the obvious. Three members of Xavier University's men's basketball team and head coach Travis Steele were seated at a table near midcourt, just off the floor Tuesday at Madison Square Garden for Big East Conference media day.
The same floor where last season came to an untimely end months earlier in a first-round loss at the conference tournament, stifling all hope of an NCAA Tournament berth.
One of the Musketeers in attendance was junior Zach Freemantle, a preseason first-team All-Big East selection by the coaches.
Freemantle's left foot, still covered in a walking boot, sat propped up on the table in front of him.