At Butler CC college there is a variety of sports and activities that students are involved in. Athletes continue to pursue their passion in sports such as track and...
Xavier Brown is a freshman basketball player from Fayetteville, Arkansas that attends Butler Community College (BCC). He plays at the point guard position and dawns the No. 1 on his jersey. Brown grew up with basketball, as he was constantly surrounded by the sport as a child.
Basketball is a big part of not only his life, but his entire family’s lives too. His family has played in various club teams, high school teams and one of his older brothers even plays for Oregon State University.
“Basketball has always been in the family,” Brown said. “All my siblings played basketball, with some even playing at the collegiate level. I have a twin sister that's in Hutchinson, and we grew up competing with each other, and we still kind of do to this day.”
During his time at Fayetteville High School, Brown not only played for the basketball team, but he was also a part of the football team. Unfortunately, because of an injury he received during a game, Brown was at risk of becoming paralyzed.
“I played football until my freshman year of high school, where I got hurt and I had a cyst built up on my spine,” Brown said. “The doctors said if I get hit really hard in that area, I could be completely paralyzed for who knows how long.”
Because of this injury, Brown’s father advised him to quit football and stick to basketball to limit the risk of him being paralyzed forever. Brown was able to make the transition quite quick, as he always believed he was better at basketball than at football.
Since Brown was out of football, he had a lot more time to hone his basketball skills and practice with his team. However, the team did not win any championships during his time on the high school team. He hopes that this current year will bring a change to the pattern.
“It was a tough high school basketball experience for me, since we never experienced a championship,” Brown said. “I’m hoping we can make it all the way to the championship and win this thing this year.”
During a college visit in his senior year, Brown decided to come to Butler to not only be close to his family and make the moving transition easier, but to also join the basketball team and be a part of their chemistry.
“I really just want to go somewhere where I’m wanted and where it’s an easy transition from home,” Brown said. “When I visited Butler last year, I decided I wanted to go here because the environment here was very welcoming, it was the easiest transition from home to here and I liked how the team moved and communicated with each other.”
Brown’s relationship with is team is shown both on and off of the basketball court. While the Grizzlies are on the court, fans can see their chemistry shine brightest, as they solve issues together to perform their best. When they are off the court, however, you can still see them bonding, making sure everyone is uplifted and a part of this team.
“We all piggyback off each other well,” Brown said. “If something is going wrong, we try to solve it as quickly as possible. We bond a lot outside of basketball too, since we all play the game together, go out to eat and do a lot of team activities.”
In Brown’s future, he envisions himself going overseas to play with a good friend of his in Italy. He knows a lot about what is required, what the contracts bring and how grueling and difficult the work will be.
“One of my teammates plays in Italy and he says he loves it,” Brown said. “He told me that you don’t even need to pay taxes, just work your tail off in basketball and make some passive income. Unfortunately, you’ll never know how much you can really make, but I definitely want to look at going overseas.
Basketball has been a big part of Brown’s background, and his team has given him a place where he fits in and is wanted. Now, he is focused on getting him and his team to a championship to hopefully win a title.
