Recruiting Report: Xavier Lipscomb (2020)
Scan the list of local 2020 point guard prospects, and not many can match Xavier Lipscomb‘s resume both on and off the court. Lipscomb has a 3.7 GPA and has won at all levels. Last weekend at DMV Live II, he led St. Stephens to two good wins, first over their IAC rival Bullis and then over DeMatha.
“Every game I come out, I pride myself on finding others and getting everybody involved. I just want to see my shooters thrive and everybody on my team get buckets really,” said Lipscomb of the intangibles he brings to the game. “Not many people credit me for my defense, but I do pride myself on locking people up and trying to limit their scoring.”
One thing that stands out about Lipscomb’s overall game is how he well uses size to his advantage. At about 6-foot-3, he is comfortable going into the post and getting a bucket against the smaller guards he usually finds himself matched up against. Lipscomb explained that ever since he was little, his dad taught him how to post up, and that’s one of the things he works on continuously over the summer.
Who does he model his game after?
“My favorite player is Damian Lillard, but I try to model myself after Rondo,” he stated. “His passing and rebounding. And just LeBron. He’s so gifted offensively, and the mental aspect. A lot fo people say I play like Russell Westbrook too. So thats another person I look at.”
Lipscomb’s current areas of focus for improvement is consistency with shooting, and conditioning. He takes 600 shots daily, gets in the gym twice per day, and works on his conditioning every other day. Lipscomb’s hard work is evidently paying off. He is shooting over 85% from the free throw line at Capitol Hoops Summer League, which ranks him highest among all players with over 30 attempts.
“Right now, Mount St. Mary’s and Lafayette are pursuing me the hardest,” said Lipscomb, who has received recent offers from Buffalo, Radford, Iona, and ETSU.” Also, Army, Navy, Towson, UPenn, and Yale are among other schools who have shown interest.”
Lafayette, Navy, Penn and Towson have already had Lipscomb on campus. He briefly described some thoughts about a few of those visits.
Lafayette: “It was like a small community. Everybody seemed to know each other and I really liked that.”
Penn: “I just liked how when you first drive in its like its own city. It just felt like somewhere I could be.”
Towson: “Just had amazing facilities. State-of-the-art everything. Gyms after gyms after gyms really.”
What is Lipscomb looking for in a school?
“Just a great balance like I have at St. Stephen’s. Academics comes first and then athletics. Somewhere I can go in and develop. Become the best basketball player and best person I can be.”
What can he bring to a college program?
“Intensity, IQ, and just a person who’s going to come out, try to win every game, and lead the team to victory.”
Xavier Lipscomb is currently ranked by Prep Hoops as a top-25 prospect in his class. To view the full ranking of Virginia’s 2020 class, click here.