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ALMA MATER
In the Mississippi Valley,
In the Crescent Bend
Stands our loved and noble Xavier,
Far her praises send.
Refrain:
Wave her colors bear them onward
Gold and white so true
Hail to thee, all hail, dear Xavier
Hail, all hail, X.U.!
Xavier, ever be our guide
And lead us on the way,
Through life's journey, onward, upward
To the eternal day. (Refrain)
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Story and photo are used with the permission of
June 17, 2009
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Shaun Dumas gets favorable marks
from the New Orleans Hornets
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Susan Poag / The Times-Picayune
Former Xavier guard Shaun Dumas worked out for the Hornets on Tuesday at the Alario Center. Dumas averaged 14.7 points for the Gold Rush last season.
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By Jimmy Smith
Staff writer
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He might have been a fill-in player to flesh out the numbers of Tuesday's Hornets
pre-draft workout, but Xavier guard Shaun Dumas was fully aware of his school's NBA legacy.
And the young New Orleanian who prepped at St. Augustine,
another school with a bit of big-league history, left the Alario Center hoping to add his
name to a list of noteworthy alums of both institutions who've made their mark on professional basketball.
At 5 feet 11, 170 pounds, Dumas' slight build might make it difficult for
him to make a draft-day impact next week, but what he did Tuesday opened the eyes of Hornets Coach
Byron Scott, who foresees Dumas perhaps getting a free-agent shot with someone.
It was nearly 60 years ago when another Xavier product, Nat "Sweetwater"
Clifton, broke the NBA's color barrier,
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becoming the first African-American to sign a contract with,
and make an NBA team when Clifton stuck with the New York Knickerbockers. He played eight seasons and
earned an All-Star berth in 1957 when he was with the Detroit Pistons.
"I've heard about him," Dumas said of Clifton. "I heard about him
through Coach (Dannton) Jackson. (Clifton) helped people like me get a shot like this and to
be able to capitalize on the opportunity. So I'm grateful for it.
"It's like when you're on this court, you're a ballplayer
like anyone else. You're no longer at Xavier University, you're no longer at UCLA.
You're a ballplayer. You have to compete at the highest level. I think I did real good today.
I competed hard, I played hard, I communicated, I played defense. I did all the little
things that I think will get me over the time. I feel real good."
Dumas was one of six players the Hornets worked, along
with LSU forward Terry Martin, St. Mary's swingman Patrick Mills, who was a member of
the Australian Olympic team and the only college player to compete at the Games, Gonzaga
forward Josh Heytvelt, Georgetown forward DaJuan Summers and Southern California forward Taj Gibson.
Dumas also could look for inspiration from another pair of Xavier
alums who played in the NBA, Donald "Slick" Watts and Bruce Seals, and St. Augustine's Avery Johnson,
who was a member of the 1999 San Antonio Spurs NBA title team and former coach of the Dallas Mavericks.
"This is my first workout," Dumas said. "Hopefully, I'll get a
couple more and be able to compete at the same level and get better. It's my goal to play in the NBA."
Scott gave Dumas and Martin high praise after the workout,
which was expected to be the Hornets' last group workout before the draft on June 25.
"I thought both of them did really well," Scott said. "It was probably
one of our best workouts as far as the competition and guys really going at one another. And for
these guys to be fill-ins, both of those guys competed really well and did some things in the
individual workouts and the 3-on-3 workouts.
"As I told Shaun on the way out, I thought he did himself proud.
He should be happy about the way he performed today, and the same thing goes for Terry.
I don't think a whole lot of people know enough about him coming from a small school, but
I think he should definitely be in a summer league somewhere. I think he'll open a lot of
people's eyes, and the same thing with Terry as well."
Dumas, who said he has closely watched the play of Hornets
guard Chris Paul, played four years with the Gold Rush, hitting 46 percent of his
shots and 37 percent from beyond the 3-point line. He averaged 11.1 points for his
career, including 14.7 as a senior.
He displayed a nice shooting touch Tuesday.
Early in the season, it seemed as though having to
relocate for a year, not practicing in an organized setting, or the distress of
Katrina's aftermath might have been too much for the Xavier men's basketball team.
"I think I helped myself today because I capitalized on this opportunity," Dumas said.
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