(Editor’s note: Montana State University athletics release)
BOZEMAN — Montana State men’s basketball coach Danny Sprinkle announced Tuesday that former UMKC guard Xavier Bishop has signed his scholarship papers and will be attending MSU this fall.
Bishop, a 5-foot-8, senior guard has been a mainstay in the Roos lineup the past three seasons. He averaged 15.4 points and 3.8 assists per game and started all 31 games as a junior. Bishop connected on 35 percent of his 3-point attempts and scored a career-high 28 points against Eastern Washington on Nov. 17.
“I expect him to be one of the best guards in the league,” Sprinkle said. “He was the fourth leading scorer in the WAC, which is a very good conference. I expect him to have the same impact he had in the WAC in the Big Sky Conference.”
“What attracted me the most to Xavier is that he will have a positive effect with anybody on campus that has an interaction with him. He is a phenomenal kid and his personality is infectious. At the point guard position, that’s huge. He’s going to influence all of his teammates and he’s a perfect fit for what I was looking for in my program.”
Bishop has played in over 100 games during his collegiate career and made over 60 starts. He saw 29.8 minutes per game on the floor as a sophomore before playing a team-high 33.8 minutes during the 2018-19 season. He led UMKC in scoring two consecutive seasons, joining the 1,000-point club at the end of his junior year. Bishop has also dished out 295 assists during his career.
Originally from Springfield, Illinois, Bishop was a finalist for Mr. Basketball in Illinois and a first-team all-state selection by the coaches and media at Lanphier High School. He remains the school’s all-time leading scorer with 2,287 points.
Bishop will have to sit out the 2019-20 season, per NCAA transfer rules, and will have one season of eligibility remaining with the Bobcats.
