CHICAGO, IL. − Xavier guard Quincy Olivari believes his strong work ethic came from his father, Gerald.

Gerald was the reason he put the time in to become a Division I basketball player. The reason he was able to bounce back from being hit by a car and later breaking his wrist in college to become one of the best players in Rice University history. The reason he dreams big, evident by the "Future NBA Legend" line in his X bio.

He's also the reason Olivari is always sporting an ear-to-ear grin that has won over the hearts of Xavier Nation in just a few short months.

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"He'd always convey to me to bring good energy," Olivari told The Enquirer in August.

That's what made Saturday night so special.

With Gerald sitting just a few rows up from the Musketeers' bench and wearing his son's jersey, Olivari scored a career-high 43 points to lead Xavier past DePaul, 93-68.

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It didn't take long for the emotions to catch up to Olivari, who wrapped his father in a bear hug after the game as captured by the FS1 cameras.

When he stepped behind the microphone inside the Wintrust Arena media room, the tears began to fall behind the 22-year-old's puffy, bloodshot eyes when describing the moment he shared with his dad.

"My dad means the world to me. He's supported me through everything," Olivari said. "I've never scored 40 in my life. To do it at the highest level is a tremendous feeling. I just wanted to share the moment with him because he knows how much basketball means to me, how great I want to be and where I want to be in this sport.

"I just love my dad."

Olivari's previous career-high was 35, set when he was a sophomore in Rice's 90-79 win over Houston Christian on Dec. 15, 2020. Olivari had 34 in Xavier's loss to Delaware in December.

On Saturday, he became the first Musketeer to score 40 points in a game since Trevon Bluiett's 40 points were not enough for Xavier in a 2017 Crosstown Shootout loss to UC.

"God just blessed me tremendously tonight. Even during shootaround, I felt confident about tonight. I don't know, just a feeling," Olivari said. "I don't even know what type of zone. It's not like I came in here mad or angry. I just wanted to come out here and have fun in front of my friends and family who were able to support. The rest is all in God's hands."

Olivari had 18 points at halftime and joked to his teammates that he was going for 40, which is common practice whenever he starts the game off hot.

This time, he was for real. Especially after hitting a 3-pointer in transition to give Xavier a 66-44 lead with over 13 minutes remaining.

"I was feeling it," Olivari said. "It felt like everything I put up was going in."

Xavier head coach Sean Miller pulled Olivari after a deep heat check missed the mark, but he checked back in and a step-back 3-pointer with 2:32 left hit the magic number.

Olivari was the first Miller-coached player to score 40-plus in a game. He added 10 rebounds for the seventh double-double of his career and first as a Musketeer.

"Quincy Olivari was simply outstanding. I can say that in the time I've been a head coach, I don't know if I've ever had a player play that well in a game," Miller said. "He was just spectacular.

"I hope it's good enough for him to be the Big East Player of the Week."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 'I just love my dad.' Olivari's big night goes beyond basketball