KyKy Tandy came to Xavier with the all the wrappings of a burgeoning star. He had the ESPN top 100 ranking, nationwide recruiting buzz, and highlight reel that went viral thanks to a dunk where he hit his chin on the rim. Xavier fans were penciling him in for the numbers than went along with all of that before he even set foot on the court. Then, things took an unexpected detour.
Before Xavier even tipped off their preseason exhibition Tandy got hurt. What started as a foot injury that Coach Travis Steele expected to limit the freshman for “just a couple of weeks” ended up lingering into the season, past a month, and eventually until it cost the highly touted freshman eight games.