http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/12/sports/ncaabasketball/12xavier.html"erhaps the biggest reason for the program’s rise is how the administration views its athletic department. Without a football team, men’s basketball is the No. 1 sport on the campus of 6,700 students. Xavier’s athletic director, Mike Bobinski, said the quality basketball program had helped the university develop its image and become more than a regional institution.
“The decision was made some years ago that this was always going to be a strategic vehicle for the university,†he said. “If that’s your strategy, you better darn well do it right.â€
Much of the credit goes to the Rev. James E. Hoff, the former president of Xavier, who was a major component in building the $45 million Cintas Center, a centerpiece of the small campus. Hoff, who died in 2004, remains a respected figure. A jersey bearing his name hangs in Cintas Center, next to the retired numbers of Larkin, Tyrone Hill and David West."