It’s no secret that the month of February was a nightmare for Xavier University’s Men’s Basketball Program. After losing five games in a row, due mainly to injured players, the Musketeer’s coaching staff searched for something to spark some momentum on the court. Usually, when coaches are looking for a way to inspire their team, they might give a pep-talk. However, that was not the case with the Xavier coaching staff. Assistant coach Mike Pegues presented the idea of putting February behind them for good, by ceremonially burning a calendar page of the month of February. Head coach Chris Mack decided to take that idea to a whole new level. Mack suggested that instead of just burning it, they should keep the ashes in an urn so that the players and staff could look at it and remember to never look back on their past failures.
Instead of buying a traditional urn, graduate assistant Allen Payne bought a clear glass jar which would allow the ashes to be visible to everyone. At the next practice, the players were shown a video to commemorate all of “glory moments” from Xavier’s past NCAA tournament experiences. Next, the Xavier players were given a calendar card with the month of February and all of the scores from the games in February. Coach Mack asked the team members to write something on the back of the card that they could personally sacrifice for the betterment of the team. Chris Mack said,
“We had a big aluminum trash can in the middle of the locker room, we made sure all the smoke detectors and alarms were off. Everybody burned it.”
The ashes were put into the glass jar, and have been carried to games, practices, team dinners, and wherever the team has gone over the past few weeks.
This was a major turning point for the team as a whole. Since the calendar burning, Xavier has gone 5-2 and is set to play Gonzaga this evening in the Elite 8. Although not through the most traditional of methods, the coaches at Xavier were able to give their players a reminder of how far they have come, and motivation to carry that momentum throughout the NCAA tournament.
Unfiltered and Uncalled For 
What an unlikely, yet powerful story Xavier was able to go through this year. The ashes can be seen as a pointless and irrelevant idea to some people, but sometimes the craziest ideas turn out to be the most influential. I had heard this story mentioned before so I am glad that you went more in depth on this subject. It is truly amazing how this one act inspired a team to do something they thought was impossible. Even though they did not bring home a national championship, I know their story will not be forgotten. This is an experience that the Xavier players will remember and cherish forever. Great article Micaiah!
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I enjoyed this piece, I loved seeing how the team responded to something that was a topic of discussion between anybody keeping up with both Xavier and March Madness. Coming from a coach who’s very philosophical and resilient, it’s captivating to learn about how other teams bounce back from encountering major obstacles. It makes me wonder if this might become a tradition on the team or just a very personal memoir that this team will have with them the rest of their career. I can’t wait to see how Xavier bounces back from this year’s March Madness moving into next season.
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