Back home in Philly, this Roman Catholic rising star is set to lead at Hofstra

Khalil Farmer wasted no time making his presence felt in the Philadelphia Catholic League. The 6-foot-3 guard immediately emerged as a star for Roman Catholic as a junior, averaging more than 18 points per game on his way to earning all-league honors. This season, Farmer has continued to be one of the Cahillites’ most consistent contributors.

Before he transferred to Roman, Farmer spent two seasons playing varsity basketball at the Shipley School. After two years at Shipley, however, Farmer was ready for a new challenge, one that he knew awaited him in the PCL.

“Shipley was a great experience for me, but the Catholic League is second to none in the country as far as high school basketball goes,” Farmer said. “So, it was a no-brainer for me. I felt like I did all I could at Shipley, and it was time to move on.”

Roman Catholic (19-4) faces Haverford High (18-6) on Wednesday night at Archbishop Ryan High in the first round of the PIAA Class 6A tournament. If the Cahillites win, they will face the winner of Central Dauphin-Bensalem on Friday night. The 6A final is March 26.

Those two years at Shipley helped Farmer to transition easily to the PCL. The Philadelphia native credits his varsity experience as crucial in helping him adapt to the league’s added competitiveness.

“It was like a perfect transition for me,” Farmer said. “I was already ready and had two years of varsity under my belt. … The only transition [was] probably my teammates and getting familiar with everyone’s game play, game style, and tendencies.”

Farmer also remained locked in after his junior year, when Cahillites coach Matt Griffin left the program to accept an assistant coaching job with the University of Albany. When former Roman Catholic coach Chris McNesby rejoined the program, Farmer adapted to McNesby’s style of coaching and quickly became reliable for the new coach on offense and defense.

Offensively, Farmer has formed a prolific combination with teammate Daniel Skillings, a four-star recruit who signed with Cincinnati. Both Farmer and Skillings are capable of scoring 20-plus points on a given night. Farmer has also made an impact on the defensive end, where McNesby has made a habit of matching the young guard up against the opposing team’s best player.

Farmer’s versatility on the court is one reason that McNesby has relied on him as a leader within the program. The other reason? Leadership seems to come naturally to Farmer.

“Any time you come into a program, you look for leaders, and [Khalil] right away just had a way about him,” McNesby said. “The guys responded to him.

“He’s always talking guys through things. You can hear him talking defenses, talking offenses, [and] talking matchups. [It’s] one of those things that you can’t have enough of, and to have a guy doing that, sometimes it can get a little contagious.”

Farmer’s on-court success and off-court leadership helped him draw the attention of several Division I programs. By the time his recruitment ended, he had drawn offers from Albany, Boston University, Drexel, Marist, and Hofstra, among others.

Eventually, the Roman Catholic standout chose to sign with Speedy Claxton’s Hofstra program. Claxton, a former Hofstra player and former NBA first-round pick, spent several years with the program as an assistant before taking the head coaching position in April. Claxton’s decade of playing professionally, as well as his experience within the Hofstra program, made him exactly the kind of coach that Farmer was looking for.

“He did it himself, so it’s good to [have] this person to talk to about stuff like that: his experiences in the league and at Hofstra,” Farmer said. “He’s a guy from the area as well, so it’s home for him, and he knows what it takes.”

Hofstra recruited Farmer from the start, with Claxton becoming a recurring attendee at Farmer’s games. Even when Farmer was dealing with injuries in the fall, Claxton showed up to Roman Catholic just to spend time with the young guard. Claxton’s efforts did not go unnoticed, with Farmer citing the positive interactions with Hofstra staff and players as another reason he felt that the Pride were the best fit.

Claxton’s effort was also clear to McNesby, whose experience in coaching blue-chip recruits has taught him how significant it is when a coach is putting in that much face time.

“[Claxton] really wanted him,” McNesby said. “I would say to any kid, ‘When you have a Division I coach or program showing up in your gym time and time again, you have to take that seriously.’ He’s spending his time out of his day not with his program, not with his family, [and] not with his team. He’s spending those hours with you.”

During his recruiting process, Farmer was able to lean on Skillings for support. Both players shared advice and related to each other as they worked to find their respective best fits. Now that their recruiting processes are finished, the pair has shifted focus toward helping other Roman Catholic players. Most notably, Farmer and Skillings have communicated with junior point guard Xzayvier Brown, whose list of offers includes St. Joseph’s, Marquette, and Fordham.

With his recruitment in the rearview, Farmer has also been able to shift his full attention to helping Roman finish out its postseason run. After coming up short in the PCL playoffs, Roman defeated Abraham Lincoln to secure the District 12 championship. Now, the Cahillites will progress through the state playoffs.