By Patrick Hayes

It’s certainly not an optimal way to get an opportunity at more playing time, but Xavier’s decision to expel sophomore Dez Wells, the team’s leading returning scorer, might give former Frankenmuth standout and Mr. Basketball winner Brad Redford even more of an opportunity to earn minutes this season.

Wells, a wing, is bigger and different type of player than Redford, but his departure, along with the losses of last year’s starting guards Tu Holloway to graduation and Mark Lyons to transfer, leaves immense holes on the perimeter. Redford, a senior, hasn’t played a lot during his career, but Xavier is suddenly a team lacking experience, and Redford’s shooting could at the very least provide some offense for the team as its young players develop. Redford averaged 3.2 points per game last season and shot a career-low 34 percent from three, but if he can get that percentage back up into the 40s where it was as a freshman and sophomore, he could possibly provide some valuable minutes for a team that will be looking for production in unexpected places.

Redford has been playing in the Four Nations Cup with other college seniors in Estonia this summer. Here’s a video from that experience: