'He is one of a kind.' Xavier's Quincy Olivari is St. Mary School student's special guest
When 6-year-old George Heller watches the Xavier Musketeers play, it’s hard to tell if he’s enjoying the game.
“George is very stoic,” his father Ryan told The Enquirer. “Then, at the end of the game, we’re driving home and he’s like, ‘it was so fun. The crowd went crazy!
“He remembers everything.”
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George will no doubt keep Tuesday afternoon as a lifelong memory. His favorite Musketeer, Quincy Olivari, was his guest for lunch at St. Mary School in Hyde Park.
Olivari visited for Family, Friends and Special Person’s Day at the school. The two talked over Italian food before Olivari spent a half hour taking pictures and signing autographs for several of George’s classmates.
“He (Olivari) is one of a kind,” Ryan said.
‘Let’s make it happen!’
What is George’s favorite part of the game day experience at Cintas Center?
“When Quincy goes in,” he said. “One game he scored like 27 points – the UC game in the Crosstown Shootout.”
That’s how the process started for Olivari and George to link up for lunch. After his 27 points and six 3-pointers helped Xavier beat UC, 84-79, Olivari gave away 10 signed copies of the photo of him standing in celebration in front of a joyous Xavier student section.
George was one of the 10 lucky winners.
“After that, George just fell in love,” Ryan said.
His decision on who to invite to Tuesday’s special person’s lunch was easy.
“I want Quincy to come!” George told his parents.
His mother, Carolyn, invited Olivari over Twitter. Twenty-seven minutes later, Olivari responded while eating breakfast.
“Let’s make it happen!”
Let’s make it happen! We play the next day so im assuming I won’t have a lift that day, just practice in the afternoon. I should be free as of right now!! DM me! https://t.co/92vwIyAeO3
— Quincy Olivari (@quincyolivari) January 19, 2024
When he found out Olivari was coming, the phlegmatic George responded, “OK.”
“It took him a couple of minutes to process,” Ryan said. “He was very excited.”
The right situation
Ryan warned his son that he couldn’t just stare at his favorite player in awe; he had to have a conversation. The two prepared a list of conversation-starter questions, asking Olivari about his favorite color, jersey number and food preferences. George also made Olivari a friendship bracelet.
“A blue one for me with my name on it,” Olivari said. “It’s love. It’s showing that he supports me, cares about me.”
Olivari didn’t have a bit of his baked ziti, zucchini and breadstick before a slew of students formed a line seeking autographs and pictures. Olivari signed for, and posed with, anyone who asked.
“It’s a great feeling. The situation that I’m in is the right situation and God has blessed me. I just know the feeling of being a kid and knowing you can communicate with your favorite player,” Olivari said. “I want people to know this is very genuine and not just because I want the attention . . . I genuinely care about them as people, not just fans that support me at a Musketeers’ game.”
‘The love here is incomparable.’
After the Crosstown Shootout, Olivari’s phone wouldn’t stop buzzing, whether it was a congratulatory text or a social media notification. He had been on Xavier’s campus for just a few months and the Musketeers were 4-5. Then, he showed up on the biggest stage and it changed his final year of college basketball.
“From there, it’s been a dream,” Olivari said.
Olivari had the signed photo giveaway and his “Quincinnati” shirt became popular on the Xavier NIL store. Then, on Jan. 16, his 3-pointer with 25 seconds left was Xavier’s 10th triple of an 85-71 win over Butler. That meant free Chick-fil-A for Xavier fans. One day later, he was handing out nuggets at the Chick-fil-A in Oakley Station.
Olivari will only be at Xavier for a few more months, but he’s taking every chance to show the love during his short stint in Cincinnati. The feeling is mutual.
“It’s a great feeling because it’s love that doesn’t waver based on your performance," Olivari said. "If I had a bad game or a good game, I can still walk outside and people say, ‘Go X!’ or ‘we’re big fans of yours, we appreciate you came.’ It’s a great feeling and I don’t want people to think I’m taking it for granted.
“The love here is incomparable.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Quincy Olivari special guest of student at St. Mary School
