CROOKSTON, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Crookston men's basketball team announced the signing of Xzavier Jones (G/F, 6-4 190, Milwaukee, Wis./Iowa Lakes C.C.) to a National Letter of Intent. Jones is the fourth Golden Eagle signee joining Chandler Meeks (G, 6-1 185, Omaha, Neb./Omaha Westside H.S.), C.J. Ray (G/F, 6-4 205, Four Oaks, N.C./Frank Phillips College(Texas), and Blaize Sagna (G, 6-3 190, London, England/Howard College (Texas).

"Xzavier is a guy we have been recruiting for a few years now," said Head Coach Dan Weisse. "We really like him as a person and player. As a player he is very versatile and can play the point guard through forward positions for us. He can handle the ball and has a playmaking ability not just to score, but to also get his teammates shots and make the right play. He rebounds very well and can guard multiple positions. He has a toughness and winning mentality about him and he has been well coached by Coach Larson at Iowa Lakes. He is a great kid, it is a great fit, and I'm excited I get to coach him for the next few years."

Jones is the third junior college transfer for the Golden Eagles, joining Sagna and Ray. He gives the Golden Eagles length and he has played at a high level, earning NJCAA First Team All-American during the 2020-21 season.

Minnesota Crookston is looking to build on an 8-19 (5-16 NSIC) record during the 2021-22 season. The Golden Eagles are entering their ninth season under Head Coach Dan Weisse during the 2022-23 campaign.

The student-athlete listed as having signed a National Letter of Intent or Offer of Admission to compete on the men's basketball team at the University of Minnesota Crookston have been verified by the Minnesota Crookston compliance office once they sign the National Letter of Intent or once the student-athlete has accepted an Offer of Admission for Minnesota Crookston.

Xzavier Jones (G/F, 6-4 190, Milwaukee, Wis./Iowa Lakes C.C.)
Jones averaged 9.6 points and 7.1 rebounds per game as a redshirt sophomore at Iowa Lakes C.C. He shot 46.3 percent from the field. Jones had a season-high 26 points on 11-of-15 from the field in a victory over Central Community College-Columbus. He had 16 double-figure scoring games. Jones notched a season-high 14 rebounds in a win over Iowa Western Community College. He had eight double-figure rebounding games. Jones averaged 13.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game during the 2020-21 slate. He shot 50.5 percent from the field during the 2020-21 season. He had a season-high 25 points versus Southeastern Community College. Jones tallied 20 or more points in four games during the 2020-21 season. He was named a NJCAA Division II First Team All-American following the 2020-21 slate. He played his freshman season at Northern Michigan University during the 2019-20 season. Jones tallied 2.1 points and 2.0 rebounds per game as a freshman. He competed as a prep at Martin Luther H.S. He was the second ranked player in Wisconsin by ESPN and the third ranked player in the state from 247 Hoops. He led his team to the 2019 D3 State Championship.

Jones is the son of Monique Fayne. He plans to major in communication at UMN Crookston. His mom has beat cancer twice.