Xavier Silas

Classroom

Silas maintains a 3.24 GPA in rhetoric communication and is on schedule to graduate in December 2010. Last year he was one of just five players to be named to the Academic All-MAC team, becoming the first NIU player since the 2006-07 season to accomplish the feat.

Character

Silas’ leadership has been instrumental in helping head coach Ricardo Patton and his staff re-build the Northern Illinois program over the last two-plus years. A transfer from Colorado, he served as a team captain during his redshirt year (2008-09) and brought an energetic mentality to practice every day. During the Huskies’ 10-game losing streak last season, he was always willing to sign autographs, and be “the voice” of the program by answering tough questions in postgame press conferences. Often times, while the stat line wouldn’t reflect it, Silas took blame for the losses, claiming it was “his responsibility” to get the team to play better. On the flipside, when his individual performance was key to victory, he was always quick to credit his teammates and coaches for “putting him in good positions” to succeed.

Community

Silas takes pride in being an active member of his community. Perhaps his most extensive venture is through the “Midnight Basketball” program, a service run by his father James, who played six seasons in the NBA. The non-profit organization, created by the Austin Parks and Recreation Department as a crime prevention tool, provides a safe place for young people ages 17 to 25 to have some late-night fun, keeping many of them off the streets and out of trouble. In two of the last three summers, Silas has represented his country as part of the “Reach USA” program, a team comprised of college players that goes on a cultural exchange trip to China, and plays several games against teams from the Chinese Basketball Association.  In both instances, Silas paid for the trip by himself. Last October, the NIU men’s basketball team organized the first annual “Halloween Bash,” in which area kids were able to visit the concourse of the home facility and trick or treat from Silas and his teammates. Silas has also volunteered in various programs at the local YMCA, and visited area elementary schools for community service; part of NIU’s “Developing Champions” (In the Classroom, In Competition, and In Life) initiative.

Competition

Despite sitting out five games with a hand injury, Silas scored 493 points last season, the most by an NIU player since 2002. He was named to the NABC District 14 second team, and also chalked up honorable mention All-MAC honors after scoring 19.7 points per game, the second-highest mark in the MAC last season. He posted 19 double-digit scoring outputs, leading the Huskies in scoring on 16 occasions.