The last time Xavier men's basketball was in the historic Madison Square Garden, the Musketeers sputtered out of the gates and couldn't recover in a 14-point loss to Marquette in the Big East Championship Game just over seven months ago.

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Of course, that loss preceded a run to the Sweet 16, but the roster for Xavier in the New York City that afternoon looks entirely different than the squad that will suit up for Sean Miller in less than two weeks.

Miller, along with players Dayvion McKnight, Desmond Claude and Quincy Olivari, represented the Musketeers at Big East Media Day at MSG on Tuesday. Miller discussed several topics with media members, mostly addressing how he and his staff has navigated the heavy turnover from last year.

'Like putting a puzzle together.'

While Xavier lost the most offensive production in the Big East from last year, it's a new challenge for Miller as he enters the second year of his second stint at Xavier. Miller and company have been grinding away at putting the best product on the floor through a slew of departures, a pair of season-ending injuries to two of its returners and three international additions over a 52-day span.

"In some ways it's like putting a puzzle together," Miller said. "We have 10 new players, six of them are freshman, so every day represents a brand-new day."

The Bahamas is typically viewed as a tropical paradise for vacationers. For Xavier, the Bahamas were a paradise of growth and development for a batch of fresh faces. The NCAA allows an international trip every four years, and Xavier's trip to Nassau, Bahamas in August was a favorable start for the new roster to gel.

"It gave us extra time, on and off the court, to get to know each other better," Miller said. "Sometimes that's important in just teaching our guys the offense. They have to be comfortable, so I thought this summer we took advantage of that opportunity. It helped our team tremendously."

Miller looking at growth for a 'work in progress.'

Miller knows the puzzle won't be complete in November. He's adamant that the team that opens the season Nov. 6 against Robert Morris will look and play differently in the thick of conference play.

"When you watch us, we will very much be a work in progress," Miller said. "If you watch us in early November and you watch us in early January, we may be able to improve at a really drastic level versus other teams with a lot of returning players because they're closer to their ceiling in the beginning."

Xavier has a barrage of early-season litmus tests on the docket with three games against preseason AP Top 25 teams in addition to the Crosstown Shootout. The non-conference slate is the most vulnerable part of the schedule, according to Miller, because it gives raw rosters tough matchups before that ceiling moment, but there's opportunity with every contest.

"In each of those types of games, your team can really grow. I think where we are in terms of our ceiling, we're nowhere close," Miller said.

A critical component of that growth will be the ability of the team to be receptive to change. Miller believes he has the squad to do just that.

"We have a collection of guys who want to do well, who are willing to learn and sacrifice in their respective careers," Miller said. "Our team is really coachable."

Desmond Claude turns glimpses into reality

The word is getting out about how Desmond Claude, the only returner from last year's tournament run who was healthy this summer, could be the next breakout star in the Big East. Claude was the team's leading scorer in the Bahamas and Xavier brass have not shied away from their big expectations for the sophomore.

"He's made a huge jump," Miller said of Claude. "We saw glimpses a year ago, maybe in a practice, then he became a really important ingredient to last year's team."

At the Victory Parkway Preview earlier this month, Miller compared Quincy Olivari to Souley Boum from a year ago. On Tuesday, he likened Claude's improvement offensively to Colby Jones.

"His (Claude) work ethic, adding more consistency shooting and just working the last five or six months. He's worked endlessly in the gym and loves the game," Miller said. "We're expecting big things. We need him to be great and I think he can be."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Sean Miller discusses Xavier's new-look roster, plans for growth, more