An impetuous kid from New Jersey outlasted a lot of turmoil in his time at Xavier to leave an indelible mark on the program.
We’ve all seen the pictures. While Justin Doellman lines up the free throws to ice an A-10 Tournament game, Stanley Burrell stands in the background, arms crossed in an unmistakable X above his head. After Xavier knocked off Pitt in an NCAA Tournament game back in the time where entry to the second weekend of that competition seemed like the program’s calling card, Dante Jackson emerges from the locker room to wave the X flag at half court. Kenny Frease, bloody but not beaten, holding both fists over his head in defiance and triumph.
Somewhere along the line, these guys and dozens or hundreds more went from being college basketball players to being Xavier players. The name on the back of the jersey came with them to school; the name on the front of it became part of their identity before they left.
Since the MCC days, Xavier has been defined by guys who showed up unheralded and unwanted by the bigger names in college ball, put in the work over the course of a career to maximize their skill sets, and become part of an overachieving whole that was unquestionably more than the sum of its parts. Part of the fun of supporting the program has always been the parade of guys who developed within the program sticking with it until they, too, were punching above their weight.
The most recent and maybe final entrant to this Loyal to the Soil Hall of Fame is Zach Freemantle. He came to Xavier in the fall of 2019 and immediately showed promise, averaging 7.5 and 4.3 as a freshman. He was the Big East’s Most Improved Player as a sophomore, when he averaged 16.1 and 8.9. Injuries, turmoil – some admittedly of his own device – and setbacks followed. Through regime changes, down years, and everything short of a nuclear winter, Big Frosty was a constant in the program. The kid who first kitted up for Xavier as a freshman got his sword and standing ovation as a senior.
You might not find that kind of persistence again for a while. A couple of weeks ago – it seems like longer, doesn’t it? – Sean Miller slithered off to chase the bag again, this time at Texas. He literally emptied the roster on the way out; Xavier currently has zero returning scholarship minutes. Richard Pitino will be introduced later today, and he’ll have money and minutes to offer to the dudes who will wear the running man next season.
Until the current NIL/transfer climate regulates – if it ever does – every successful player will come with the threat of being stalked by a program with a bigger bag. Seton Hall found out with Kadary Richmond, Providence found out with Bryce Hopkins, Xavier is finding out with Dailyn Swain.
I’m sure there were offers for Freemantle. By his own admission, there were some tough times for him at Xavier. I don’t know if he ever wavered, but I do know that he never left. He’s the kind of guy who’s loyal to the soil; he might be the last of those we see.