Toledo transfer guard Dante Maddox Jr. will visit Louisville, Illinois, Xavier
Xavier has added just one player from the NCAA's transfer portal thus far in Furman guard Marcus Foster.
That could be changing soon with the Musketeers targeting more help in the backcourt.
According to On3 Sports, Toledo transfer guard Dante Maddox Jr. released his top 5 on Tuesday and has included Xaiver along with Louisville, Michigan, Creighton and Illinois.
NEWS: Toledo transfer guard Dante Maddox Jr. has cut his list of schools to five, he tells @On3sports:
Louisville
Michigan
Creighton
Xavier
Illinois
The 6-2 junior has scheduled three official visits: https://t.co/LWy7SwG5Wf pic.twitter.com/BBX2tabc39— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) April 9, 2024
One week ago, Xavier made Maddox's final eight schools. Since then, he's eliminated Oklahoma, Kansas and TCU, a school he visited April 1.
Maddox has visits scheduled with Louisville and Illinois before visiting Xavier on Wednesday, according to On3 Sports.
Tabbed as a four-star prospect in the 247Sports transfer rankings, Maddox has one year of eligibility left and is the No. 86 overall player in the portal, according to On3 Sports. Maddox began his career at Cal State Fullerton, where he averaged 8.9 points over 39 games (20 starts). Maddox was a double-figure scorer in each of the last two seasons at Toledo, including a career-high 15.6 points per game last season on a Toledo offense that led the Mid-American Conference in scoring, helping the Rockets win a regular-season conference title for the fourth consecutive year.
Toledo finished 20-12, falling to Kent State in the first round of the MAC Tournament.
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Maddox would bring a more reliable perimeter threat to Xavier. Aside from its many departures via the transfer portal, Xavier has to replace guard Quincy Olivari, who just set the school's single-season record for 3-pointers. Foster is a career 33.3% shooter from downtown and current guards Dayvion McKnight, Desmond Claude and Trey Green have yet to find a consistent stroke from beyond the arc.
Maddox is a career 40.1% three-pointer shooter and was fourth in the MAC last season in treys per game (2.3). In 2023, Maddox shot a career-high 45.1% from deep. He's averaged 2 assists, 1.1 steals and 3.4 rebounds over his collegiate career, as well.
According to KenPom, Maddox had an effective field goal percentage of 53.8% last season, the highest of any Toledo player who was used on 20% or more possessions. Maddox is also a lifetime 81.4% free-throw shooter, which is something the Xavier brass values in its guards. Last season, Xavier's starting backcourt (McKnight, Olivari and Claude) combined to shoot 80.6% from the charity stripe. You've already seen it prioritized this offseason with the addition of Foster, who shot 81.8% at the line over the last two years.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Transfer portal guard will visit Xavier, per report