Xavier Moon
No. 22 – Agua Caliente Clippers | |
---|---|
Position | Shooting guard |
League | NBA G League |
Personal information | |
Born | January 2, 1995 |
Nationality | American |
Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
Listed weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | Central Coosa (Hanover, Alabama) |
College |
|
NBA draft | 2017: undrafted |
Playing career | 2017–present |
Career history | |
2017–2018 | ALM Évreux |
2018 | Albany Patroons |
2018–2019 | London Lightning |
2019–2021 | Edmonton Stingers |
2019–2020 | London Lightning |
2020–2021 | Wilki Morskie Szczecin |
2021–present | Agua Caliente Clippers |
Career highlights and awards | |
Stats at NBA.com | |
Stats at Basketball Reference |
Xavier Moon (born January 2, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for the Agua Caliente Clippers of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for Northwest Florida State and Morehead State.
High school career
Moon grew up in Goodwater, Alabama and began playing organized basketball in seventh grade. He attended Central Coosa High School where he played on the junior varsity team as a freshman before playing three years on varsity.[1] As a senior, he led Alabama in scoring with 35 points per game. In the tournament semifinal, he scored 48 points, followed by 50 points in the championship game. Moon earned Alabama Sports Writers Association All-State team honors and went to the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star game.[2] Moon also played on the football team as a senior as a quarterback. He was lightly recruited, as Itawamba Community College was the first school to offer him a scholarship during his senior season, and Moon ended up signing with Northwest Florida State College.[1]
College career
Moon attended Northwest Florida State College for two years. As a freshman, he averaged 4.5 points per game. He averaged 7.7 points per game as a sophomore.[2] Moon was named Sixth Man of the Year as the Raiders finished 33-2 and won the National Junior College Championship. Moon transferred to Morehead State before his junior season, choosing the Eagles because it felt like home.[1]
He finished second on the team in scoring as a junior at 10.2 points per game and shot 48 percent from the field.[2] Moon recorded the first triple-double in Morehead State history on December 19, 2016, notching 25 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds against Central Arkansas. He scored a career-high 26 points against Austin Peay on January 19, 2017. As a senior, Moon led Morehead State in scoring with 16.0 points per game and also averaged 4.6 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game. He was named to the First Team All-Ohio Valley Conference. Moon graduated from Morehead State in May 2017 with a bachelor's degree in Exercise Science.[3]
Professional career
On August 10, 2017, Moon signed his first professional contract with ALM Évreux Basket of the LNB Pro B.[2] After six months, Moon left the team due to issues with the coach and returned home to Alabama. His uncle Jamario Moon suggested that he join his team, the Albany Patroons, and Xavier did so after coach Derrick Rowland was impressed with his play. In the Patroon locker room, Xavier became known as "half Moon", in contrast with his uncle, known as "full Moon".[4] Xavier averaged 18 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists per game and was named North American Premier Basketball rookie of the year.[5]
Moon signed with London Lightning of the National Basketball League of Canada on September 7, 2018.[5] He averaged 13.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game in 40 games.[6] Alex Johnson informed Moon of the formation of the Canadian Elite Basketball League, and he joined the Edmonton Stingers. In his first game on May 11, 2019, he scored 36 points in a 118–105 overtime victory against the Niagara River Lions.[7] Moon averaged 19.3 points and 5.7 assists per game for Edmonton and was named league MVP. He led the team to the semifinals before losing to the eventual champions Saskatchewan Rattlers. Following the season, Moon tried out for Raptors 905 of the NBA G League but was one of the final roster cuts.[8] He re-signed with the Lightning on November 15.[9] On January 4, 2020, he scored 39 points in a 113–97 victory over the KW Titans.[10] Moon averaged 21.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game during the shortened 2019–20 season and was named to the First Team All-NBL Canada.[11]
On June 25, 2020, Moon signed with Wilki Morskie Szczecin of the Polish Basketball League.[12] Moon re-joined the Edmonton Stingers for the 2020 CEBL season. He scored 31 points in the championship game, a 90–73 win against the Fraser Valley Bandits, and was named the Final MVP.[13] He also won his second Most Valuable Player award.[14]
In August 2020 Moon signed with Maccabi Hod Hasharon Basketball Club of the Israeli National League.[15] During his 31 games in the league he averaged 24.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game.[16]
After a great season overseas, Xavier returned to the Edmonton Stingers of the CEBL for the 2020-2021 season where he continued his MVP reign, winning his 3rd CEBL MVP award, his 2nd CEBL Championship, and his 2nd CEBL Finals MVP Award.[17]
On October 27, 2021, Moon signed with the Agua Caliente Clippers.[18]
Personal life
Moon is the oldest of three children born to Michelle Moon. Her brother Jamario played professional basketball in the NBA.[4] Moon did not find out who his father, Brian Thomas, was until his junior year of high school. On April 20, 2016, his stepfather Elbert Wilson was murdered while mowing his lawn.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d Maloney, Mark (December 20, 2016). "FAMILY AND DETERMINATION HAVE HELPED XAVIER MOON PERSEVERE THROUGH ADVERSITY". Morehead State Eagles. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Arbogast, Lizi (August 10, 2017). "Central Coosa's Xavier Moon signs pro contract to play in France". Alexander City Outlook. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
- ^ Lambert, Tyler (October 17, 2019). "EAGLE ALUM XAVIER MOON HEADING TO NBA G-LEAGUE". Morehead State Eagles. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
- ^ a b Wilkin, Tim (February 26, 2018). "2 Moons Patroons' boon". Albany Times-Union. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
- ^ a b "Lightning Sign Xavier Moon". London Lightning. September 7, 2018. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
- ^ "Lightning Re-Sign Speed Guard Xavier Moon". London Lightning. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
- ^ Moddejonge, Gerry (May 11, 2019). "Lunar landing: Xavier Moon blasts off in Stingers opener". Edmonton Sun. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
- ^ Van Diest, Derek (April 15, 2020). "Canadian Elite Basketball League MVP Xavier Moon excited for return to Edmonton Stingers". Edmonton Sun. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
- ^ Vanderhoeven, Paul (November 14, 2019). "Well-travelled Moon back in London after missing Raptors 905 cut". London Free Press. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
- ^ Stubbs, Mike (January 4, 2020). "Xavier Moon's big night has London Lightning off to a 4-1 start to the season". Global News. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
- ^ Vanderhoeven, Paul (July 1, 2020). "NBLC aims for new season in December, four London Lightning players get all-star nods". London Free Press. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
- ^ "King Szczecin tab Xavier Moon". Sportando. June 25, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
- ^ McGaughey, Paul (August 9, 2020). "Xavier Moon ices win for Stingers over Bandits in CEBL championship game". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
- ^ [1]
- ^ "Edmonton Stingers Re-Sign Xavier Moon: Two-Time CEBL Player Of The Year". www.cebl.ca. 2021-02-01. Retrieved 2021-08-25.
- ^ Eurobasket. "Maccabi Hod Hasharon basketball, News, Roster, Rumors, Stats, Awards, Transactions, Details-eurobasket". Eurobasket LLC. Retrieved 2021-08-25.
- ^ "Stingers Become First Repeat CEBL Champions". www.cebl.ca. 2021-08-23. Retrieved 2021-08-25.
- ^ "Agua Caliente Clippers announce training camp roster for 2021-22 NBA G League season". NBA.com. October 27, 2021. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
External links
- 1995 births
- Living people
- Agua Caliente Clippers players
- ALM Évreux Basket players
- American expatriate basketball people in Canada
- American expatriate basketball people in France
- American expatriate basketball people in Poland
- American men's basketball players
- Basketball players from Alabama
- Edmonton Stingers players
- London Lightning players
- Morehead State Eagles men's basketball players
- Northwest Florida State Raiders men's basketball players
- People from Goodwater, Alabama
- Shooting guards