Scruggs’ ‘love’ has him back with Xavier a 5th season
Paul Scruggs found himself this offseason under the weight of a big decision, one that sounds more simple than it really is — begin a professional basketball career or return to Xavier for another season.
"You have to make that decision because you're going to have to live with it," Brenda Scruggs told her son. "You make the decision and we'll stand by whatever decision you make."
Scruggs took his time. He thought about the four years he'd already spent at Xavier and he thought about the future. He weighed his options. He spoke to people he trusts.
And accompanied by a short video, Paul announced on social media, "I'm back."
A blanket waiver from the NCAA for an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic means he will be the first player in Xavier basketball history to play five full seasons.
"It was a huge process," he said. "I could have went to the NBA Draft last year, but just last season, playing with those guys and then ending the way that we ended it ... it didn't feel right to me."
He said his decision to return was mainly the product of the way last season ended with back-to-back losses to end the regular season and the disappearance of a 19-point lead that led to an overtime loss in the first round of the Big East Conference Tournament.
"Yeah, I still think about it," he said of last season's ending. "But I don't let it get me down ... it's definitely a motivating factor. And I just love these guys. This team is great. I like hooping with them."
His mom trusted her son's intuition and believed it was the right decision.
"I kind of felt that was the right one," said Brenda. "Me and his dad were talking about it ... I'm sure he could have made many other decisions, but we felt that this was the right one. We didn't say anything to him about that, because we wanted him to make that decision on his own."
In 118 games (84 starts) at Xavier, he has scored 1,246 points, collected 449 rebounds and distributed 376 assists.