Roman Catholic’s Xzayvier Brown commits to St. Joe’s

Xzayvier Brown is staying home to play basketball for St. Joseph’s, he announced Saturday afternoon.

“The school felt like family,” Brown told The Inquirer. “I have great relationships with everyone there. It wasn’t an easy decision, but it felt like the right decision.”

The 6-foot-2 point guard has plenty of familiarity with Hawk Hill, largely because his stepfather, Justin Scott, is entering his fourth season as an assistant coach.

Brown said he has been around the program since his freshman year of high school. Most of that time was spent at Hagan Arena. It wasn’t until his official visit in early June that he was introduced to the campus and St. Joseph’s academics.

The senior-to-be picked the Hawks over offers from Southern Cal, Virginia Commonwealth, Florida Gulf Coast, Marquette, and Drexel. He had a visit scheduled for the last week of July to USC, which was widely considered the Hawks’ most prominent competition on the recruiting trail.

Brown said the idea of staying close to home was never high on his priority list. The more he thought about it and the more he heard tales of Jameer Nelson’s time at St. Joe’s, the idea of playing in the city where he grew up became more enticing.

The Hawks are bringing in a skilled, dynamic backcourt presence in the 2023 class.

This past season, Brown helped lead Roman Catholic to the Catholic League final, falling to Neumann-Goretti. The Cahillites went on to win the Class 6A state title over Archbishop Wood.

“I’m a pure point guard,” Brown said. “I can score in different ways, but I’ll do whatever it takes to help my team win.”

» READ MORE: From basketball scout team to a starring role at Roman Catholic

Brown’s Roman Catholic teammate and one of his closest friends, Anthony Finkley, is the only other player to commit to the Hawks for 2023 so far. The two have shared the floor with the K-Low Elite team since the fourth grade. Finkley, a 6-6 forward, transferred from West Catholic to Huntington Prep in West Virginia before landing at Broad and Vine Streets.

After Finkley sat out last season because of midseason transfer rules, this winter will be the first time the two will play for the same high school. While Brown said there were never conversations about teaming up together in college, he said the decision was “only right.”