What does this have to do with IVY LEAGUE basketball players?
While I understand this line of thinking, I think if you’re good enough (which the vast majority of players doing the draft/transfer thing are), it doesn’t matter. Cam Ward was set to enter the NFL Draft last year and Miami came and convinced him to come there. It’s just another negotiation tactic.
Duke enters the conversation:
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Thought this was a forum for ivy basketball players. Not ex ivy players.
This is a thread called “Xaivian.” If you aren’t interested, don’t read this thread.
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Xaivian’s gone. Real Tigers finish the job. Read that.
You seem to feel it’s your job to tell people what they can talk about and what they can’t. Time to chill.
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Freedom of speech.
Xaivian stayed a year longer than he had to, so I’m grateful and rooting for him. Mack and Wolf both left as soon as they could, but Lee chose to run it back for another year, giving up $1M+ in the process.
Since he’s someone with legit NBA potential, I don’t begrudge him leaving for a better showcase for his skills. His success will be a credit to Princeton and Ivy League hoops.
On 2026 draft night, if he’s drafted, he will be affiliated with his NIL school.
Florida is the current front-runner for Xaivian.
Lots of emotional and moody posting on an Ivy League hoops forum, gotta just laugh. Can only imagine y’all on more contentious platforms, that would be an ugly sight**.
Xaivian was an excellent player for the Princeton program and will be remembered for his time there no matter where he goes… Kentucky, UNC, or Florida (news to me)
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idk if this is bombshell information to yall, but i’d like to leave it here for you all.
i have learned this week that Kentucky is out of the picture for X. pope wanted him to commit the weekend he entered the portal and X didn’t want to move that fast, so pope moved on.
st. johns offered X 3M. apparently willing to negotiate too. wild numbers for a guy who couldn’t guard ryan cornish.
duke told him they would only offer him if one of their guards left (foster or proctor). if he’s serious about going, that tells me that scheyer probably tipped him off that one or both are gone, and if that’s the case, expect him to commit here (big p considers duke the best fit for him if you include academics).
florida is the most laid back culture of the group, and that is what X values above all else. They, however, apparently don’t have a lot of cash on hand right now though. that might change in the following weeks since they just won it all, though.
X wants to play somewhere that he can develop into an NBA player, and he cares about that more than money (or so he says). at the end of the day, if proctor or foster really do leave, then it’s gotta be duke. st. johns makes sense because it’s close (and his girlfriend goes to NYU), but he is intimidated by pitino. all in all, it’s gonna be duke or florida.
note: UNC offered (and yes, the price is just under 3M), but the coaching situation and all the guards transferring out doesn’t sit right with him.
this is all the big p info i have in the arsenal right now.
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Go big p!
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Appreciate you, Big P! This is good content.
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Here’s a useless exercise: as an official old-timer, I tried to put this in terms of someone who graduated in 1972.
In 1971 dollars, using the inflation calculator, the 3M would have been $380,000.
If 200K (after taxes and a new car) were invested in the S&P in 1972, it would now be 49,000,000.
But I probably would have spent it all.
And the comment about Ryan Cornish is hilarious!
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Better money than a g league deal.
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I don’t know about bball but there have been frequent stories about football players petitioning for an extra year of eligibility rather than having to move on and take a pay cut under NFL salary structure.
A national player of the year at Kentucky stayed
a couple of years ago because the NIL was more
than he would make as a pro.
I don’t know what would be best for Xavian, but
I agree with him that Pitono, a defense first screamer,
is a bad fit.
I don’t know whether he plans to return to Princeton
later to get his degree, as Armand Hill and Brian Taylor
di. If so, I would think the academics are not much
of a factor in a year where he will be focusing on hoops
and trying to fit in to a new culture.
Any choice that comes with a 7 figure paycheck is hard
to criticize. I just hope he makes one that he is
happy with later.
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Thanks for the scoops. I read that Lee is visiting St. John’s this weekend with 3 other recruits. Along with returner Zuby Ejiofor, it looks like Pitino is trying to complete his entire starting lineup at once.
Another wrinkle that’s been mentioned is that Lee’s high school teammate Thomas Haugh is on Florida (and due for a promotion to the starting lineup). I don’t know how big a factor that is, but it certainly can’t hurt. These are college kids after all and it helps to have a friendly face to ease the transition to a new team.
If I’m Xaivian, I’d choose Florida if their NIL is competitive (to prove their commitment to him). He can step in immediately for Walter Clayton, who was an Iona transfer. Also, as a former Columbia assistant, Todd Golden is less likely to underestimate Ivy talent compared to other head coaches.
As for Duke, even if Proctor and Foster leave, they have an incoming 5-star PG in Cayden Boozer (Carlos Boozer’s son). Best to avoid a potential PG controversy.
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