Oregon State Basketball: Our Q&A With Beavers Incoming Transfer Xzavier Malone-Key

Three months ago, Xzavier Malone-Key was a guard at Fairleigh Dickinson, mostly unknown to Oregon State fans out on the other side of the country. However, now committed to the Beavers and ready to hit the hardwood for them in the winter for the 2021-2022 campaign, Malone-Key is set to be a key piece of Oregon State’s back-court in the near future.

We were lucky enough to grab some time out of Malone-Key’s day to ask some questions to the future Beaver and the Philadelphia native, who currently is opting out of the 2020-2021 season.

BTD: What were the deciding factors in your decision to choose Oregon State over the other schools on your list?

XMK: Being far away of home, in a type of isolation that can mentally prepare me for my aspirations of playing professionally where I’ll be far away from chime most of the time throughout the course of a season. Additionally, the relationship I built with Coach Wayne Tinkle and Marlon Stewart, they made me feel very comfortable, those are high character guys right there, who I believe will help shape me into a better man off the court just as much a better basketball player on the court.

BTD: Speaking of that final list of five schools, they were a bit all over geographically as you were considering Georgia, Florida, Montana, North Texas, and Oregon State. What role did being away from home (Philadelphia) and where you’ve been at Fairleigh Dickinson play in coming to Corvallis?

XMK: Location did not matter to me, just as long as it was far away from home. Oregon State being the furthest was best for me personally and it’s such a beautiful town. I figured it would be the best place to finish my collegiate career at.

BTD: The Pac-12 is a world of difference from the NEC. What excites you about the challenges of playing in a power five conference?

XMK: The level of competition on a nightly basis, along with the platform it’s brings will definitely help me put a lot of people on notice throughout the country.

BTD: What do you think you personally bring to a team on the court with your game and what can you help add to the Beavers roster next season?

XMK: I bring swagger, being an east coast kid it kind of runs in my DNA. Along with that, I’m just a guy that just wants to win, knowing what it feels like just makes me want to win even more especially at this level. Also, I’m a guard who can score the ball at all three levels, but what I take pride in most is my versatility, whatever Coach (Tinkle) wants to do with me is fine. I just want to win games.

BTD: Off the court, how would you describe your personality and your approach to life? Can you give us a secret talent you may have or something a lot of people may not know about you?

XMK: I’m a friendly guy who enjoys music, in fact I make music on my free time. I’ve always been able to sing a little.

BTD: And finally, what should Beavers fans know about you before you hit the floor for them later this year?

XMK: That I’m going to leave my all on the court while holding myself accountable, and help as much as I can to get our team to the NCAA tournament.

We thank Xzavier Malone-Key for taking the time to do this Q&A with us and we can’t wait for him to hit the hardwood later this year. In the meantime, check out his 2019-2020 highlights below.

If you so choose, you can also give him a follow on Twitter here.