Family and basketball intersect at Saint Joe's

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- On Hawk Hill, basketball is part of the family business.

St. Joseph's University's Men's Associate Head Coach Justin Scott coaches his stepson, sophomore guard Xzayvier Brown.

Their story began, of course, on the court.

"We were running a summer camp, and he was a camper," Scott describes. "He was a great kid more than anything. He was a leader in camp, he listened to directions, he was always trying to get better."

Xzayvier's mom, Amber, caught the eye of Coach Scott. He recognized her from church, so Scott recruited a mutual friend to make the introduction.

Scott said it's been history ever since.

"When they first started messing with each other, I would call him Coach Scott," Brown remembers. "That's all I knew him from camp - Coach Scott, Coach Scott - but as time went on I just called him Justin."

Once Justin became a more significant part of Xzayvier's life, Xzayvier was fully immersed in the sport of basketball.

"He just listened, he was a sponge," Scott recalls. "He wanted to be around the game. He came to practices all the time, he'd be in film sessions with the team, be in the locker room. We'd take road trips, he was on the bus."

As Xzayvier's love for basketball grew, so did the bond between the pair.

"All of our conversations were about basketball," Brown said. "Everyday we learned each other, grew a tighter relationship, and it's been super fun because now it's way more than basketball."

Then, the big decision came: Where would Xzayvier play college basketball?

A standout at Roman Catholic High School, he chose to stay home and play for his stepdad.

"He would never say, 'Oh, you have to come here,'" Brown recalls. "He let me be his son and choose what I wanted to choose."

They both say it's not difficult to separate their personal relationship from their working relationship, but Scott does feel a sense of pride when watching Xzayvier play.

"Sometimes in games you might just find yourself being like a dad and wanting to cheer extra when he does something good," Scott said. "But besides that, he really makes it easy."

Basketball is the foundation that built Xzayvier and Justin's relationship, but now it's just one piece that makes up their strong bond.

"It's super cool, honestly, I'm with him more than anybody else in my life," Brown said. "Seeing him at school, practice, and seeing him at home, everything just seems right. Everything happens for a reason, that's what I think."