The ball has started rolling for Xavier's 2022 recruiting class.
Kam Craft, a four-star prospect out of Buffalo Grove, Illinois, verbally committed to the Musketeers Thursday.
Craft is the first 2022 commitment for Xavier University's men's basketball team.
The 6-foot-6 wing is ranked as the No. 101 recruit nationally in the 2022 class and the nation's No. 10 shooting guard, according to 247Sports rankings.
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Craft's commitment means more shooting help is on the way.
"I'm a versatile shooting guard," Craft told The Enquirer Thursday. "My strength is shooting but I feel like I'm a three-level scorer. I can shoot it from 3, shoot it in the mid-range and then finish around the rim."
In early 2020, Craft became the fastest player in Buffalo Grove history to surpass 1,000 career points.
The Musketeers first reached out to Craft last fall. A scholarship offer arrived in the form of a couple of phone calls from head coach Travis Steele and assistant coach Dante Jackson.
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"I'm really close with coach Jackson and coach Steele," Craft said. "I talk to coach Jackson a lot but I also talk to coach Steele, which is another thing that's important to me that I have a really good relationship with the head coach."
Steele's persistence was noticeable.
"Other schools, I didn't really talk to the head coaches as much as I talked to Travis so that was a good sign and they were always watching my games during the spring, checking in on me, trying to get me on a visit," Craft said.
A few weeks ago in early June, that visit to Xavier's campus finally happened and that's when Craft knew he wanted to play on Victory Parkway.
"I felt needed here," said Craft. "I felt like they went all out for me and they wanted me here."
Craft said he picked Xavier over Texas Tech, Iowa, Marquette and N.C. State. Nebraska, South Carolina and Maryland were among the other schools to offer Craft scholarships.
Before Xavier offered, Craft's familiarity with the Musketeers was limited.
"I wasn't as familiar with the program as I was with the Big East (Conference)," he said. "I've followed Big East basketball ever since I was a little kid. It was a conference I looked up to. I knew (Xavier) was in it and I knew they were a winning program and I knew David West went there."
Craft will get a lot more familiar with Xavier over time. In the meantime, Craft left a message for Xavier fans.
"I want to let them know I'm ready to get there and work as hard as I can to help the program win," Craft said.
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