At some point in the fall of 2004, football stopped being fun for Xzavier Gaines. The sport that earned him a scholarship to Syracuse was now a chore. Four years after arriving on campus, he was right back where he started – third on the quarterback depth chart.

Behind two younger quarterbacks, Gaines recognized he was at a dead end. He took some time off from practice in early October and discussed his situation with then-head coach Paul Pasqualoni. Ultimately, he decided to rejoin the SU basketball team (Gaines walked on to the 2002-2003 National Championship team).

Gaines will most likely be on the bench – the place he’s spent most of this season – when Syracuse faces Pittsburgh on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Petersen Events Center. He has only appeared in four games for a total of 13 minutes, but Gaines, a junior, is just happy to be on a winning team.

‘This is real good,’ Gaines said of his situation with the basketball team. ‘Everybody’s really nice. And it’s a good learning experience with all the coaches and the players.’

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Gaines has the athletic ability to compete on the football field and the hardwood. He played only basketball at Dallas Carter High School in Dallas before his family moved to Houston for his senior season.

‘He’s a good athlete,’ said fellow basketball walk-on Josh Brooks. ‘Whatever he put his mind to, he’d be pretty good at. He’s an all-around good athlete.’

Once he moved to Houston, Westfield High football coach Ron Lynch convinced him to quarterback a struggling team. His successes in football and basketball drew recruiting interest from schools in both sports. Not to mention Gaines was a pretty good triple jumper.

Now, with Pasqualoni gone and new SU football head coach Greg Robinson on board, Gaines is intrigued with trying football again in his last year of eligibility.

‘I’ve been curious about it,’ Gaines said. ‘But it’s not on me anymore. It’s pretty much on the new coaching staff and what they want to do with me.’

Gaines said he is taking the minimum amount of classes this semester and that he will need two more classes to graduate next fall. He is still on scholarship for football, but he is unsure of his situation next year with Pasqualoni gone.

‘I haven’t really talked to anybody,’ Gaines said. ‘I’ve just got to wait and see what they do with me and my whole scholarship situation.

‘When Coach P left, it was all about me graduating and my academics, but I’d definitely be open to trying (football next season).’

When SU (20-1, 7-0) faces Pitt on Saturday, it will return to the place where it ended Pitt’s 34-game home win streak last season. The No. 20 Panthers (13-3, 3-2) have already lost two games at the Petersen Events Center this season

As for Gaines, he said he met Robinson once briefly, but he hasn’t discussed his football situation with him yet. Gaines’ athleticism may allow him to move to wide receiver, a position he tried briefly as a redshirt freshman in 2002.

‘I’d love to come out and play,’ Gaines said. ‘He can move me to receiver, I don’t care. I’m open to anything, I’d just like to get a shot.’

Though he may not play a huge role on the basketball team, his teammates are happy having him just as well.

‘He works hard every day and he’s got a good attitude,’ Brooks said. ‘It’s about work ethic; you come in here every day and try to make the other guys better.’

Published on January 26, 2005 at 12:00 pm