The athletics department announced Wednesday that sophomore basketball player Xavier Alexander had “voluntarily withdrawn” from the University – making him the fourth player to leave the program since last March.
“I don’t think is the start of a trend, but I’ve been wrong before,” Director of Athletics Jack Kvancz said Wednesday, noting that the decision seemed “out of the blue” and that he did not know the reasons behind it.
Ten players have now left the program under varying circumstances during Hobbs’ seven-and-a-half year tenure as head coach. Most recently, Alexander’s former classmate Miles Beatty and then-junior Cheyenne Moore were dismissed from the program in May for what Hobbs termed a failure to meet expectations “both on and off the court.”
In an interview after Wednesday’s loss to Duquesne University, Hobbs said that Alexander left the team for personal reasons.
“Xavier evidently was homesick, wasn’t happy at GW and we wish him the best,” Hobbs said. Hobbs could be seen at the Richmond game last Saturday berating Alexander, who was visibly upset while sitting on the bench.
In March, then-senior Maureece Rice was dismissed from the program for an unspecified violation of team rules, just days before his final home game. Rice had received two one-game suspensions prior to his dismissal.
Alexander started 12 of the team’s 13 games while a member of the Colonials this season and was fifth on the team in total minutes played. The 6-foot-7 Oklahoman had a reputation as one of the team’s better defenders and was third on the team in rebounding with 3.2 per game. But Alexander struggled from the free-throw line, shooting just over 32 percent (13 of 40) this year.
Having been granted his release from the program, Alexander will be able to transfer to another university and continue his basketball career. Kvancz said Alexander would need to sit out a calendar year before becoming eligible to play at another Division I school.
It is unknown whether he plans to do so or where his potential destination would be.
Alexander could not be reached for comment by press time.
-Andrew Alberg contributed to this report.
