Webb signs to play basketball with Sul Ross

Two-point guard for Central Wyoming College, Xavier Webb signed a national letter of intent to play basketball at Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas. Sul Ross is a NCAA Division III school where Webb will continue as a two-point guard for the team.

Webb recently graduated from CWC with a degree in secondary education. He will pursue his bachelor’s degree in secondary education while attending Sul Ross.

“I want to teach history or math and I would like to be a basketball coach, so I want to finish a coaching degree as well,” Webb said.

Webb first started his college basketball career at Sheridan College where he played for the team his freshman year before transferring to his hometown of Riverton and attending CWC.

“I was given an opportunity at CWC and I took advantage of that,” Webb said. “I enjoyed playing for CWC coaches and the team was fun; our team actually built a family out of it.”

Sul Ross wasn’t the first school to offer Webb an opportunity to play. Other colleges were Dickinson State University, Pacific University and Whitman College.

“Sul Ross was a good situation for me both with basketball and academically,” Webb said. “The coach seems to know his stuff and his coaching success attracted me to the school.”

“Xavier is an outstanding young man. He embodies everything I want in a player here at Sul Ross,” said Clifton Carroll, head coach for Sul Ross. “He is a high character young man with an unbelievable GPA. He has been extremely well coached by my good friend Pat Rafferty and can shoot the cover off the ball. I am beyond excited that he has chosen to join our team at Sul Ross and I expect that we will win a lot of games together! VIVA LOS LOBOS!”

This season is the first for the head coach at Sul Ross. Webb said that he liked the history of his success and he seemed energetic about moving forward to turn the basketball program around. Carroll was assistant coach for Pat Knight at Lamar University before his position as head coach at Sul Ross.

“He is excited and motivated to win and I want to be a part of that,” Webb said.

CWC head coach, Pat Rafferty helped Webb with the process of continuing his basketball career by contacting coaches at other colleges.

“That’s what we’re here for; to help young men and women get the chance to go on and continue their education and play ball,” Rafferty said. “He had a successful season and he was an integral part of that on and off the floor. I am proud to have coached him and proud of the opportunity he has; he is incredibly deserving of it.”

“I’m proud of the way Coach Rafferty and Xavier worked with one another for both the success of the team and for Xavier,” said Steve Barlow, athletic director.

“Xavier exemplifies what I want our program to stand for and represent,” Rafferty said.  “He is the type of kid who didn’t fit into another culture but can come here and fit into our culture and blossomed.”

“It’s always nice when one of our athletes can continue to the next level but it’s special when it’s one of our local kids; where we get to watch them throughout high school and college,” Barlow said. “Xavier is a great young man who is well respected by all the team, coaching staff and the community. I am so happy for him.”

Webb will join the team sometime in August and during the summer he is working for the Reach Foundation doing landscaping and is doing basketball workouts in the evening.