Confident Zebras set for big game
A four-year varsity player at Pine Bluff High School, Jordon Harris has come a long way on the basketball court, according to one of his teammates.
“He couldn’t walk and chew gum,” senior Keyonte Stringer said of the Zebras’ starting center. “And to see him come as far as he did, it makes me really proud because we out here to win this.”
Stringer and Harris have known each other since grade school, and that’s where Harris said he and the other seniors on this season’s team began to develop their chemistry.
“We’ve been playing for a long time, the same people,” Harris said. “Experience-wise, we know what our personal issues are and everything like that. So I think we all know everything about each other. It’s just a great group of guys. Since Belair, Broadmoor, everything, we’ve known about these people.”
Fast-forward to this week and the Zebras (24-7) just may have the formula to win the school’s 14th state championship when they tip off against Lake Hamilton (27-4) at 7:45 p.m. Thursday at Hot Springs’ Bank OZK Arena.
Ask Jabbar Spellman, a senior who gives Pine Bluff an extra boost on the glass and is a standout defender, and the formula to Pine Bluff’s success is simple — every player does his job.
“That’s what it’s about, everybody playing their role and knowing their role,” he said. “That’s how I feel. That’s where our chemistry comes from. Everyone knows their part.”
It’ll be the third time this season the 5A-South rivals meet. Pine Bluff won 66-48 to start conference play in nearby Pearcy on Dec. 6 and again 62-55 at home on Jan. 24.
The idea that it’s tough to beat a team three times is nothing more than a cliché the Zebras have often heard. That’s the attitude they’re taking to Hot Springs.
“It’s not going to be tough,” senior Davonte West said. “We just got to stay locked. We already got the pieces to win.”
Harris has not only mastered the art of chewing gum and walking at the same time; he’s also been a formidable presence throughout his high school career, helping Pine Bluff win three straight 5A-South championships and six state playoff games in three seasons.
His tournament résumé from last week has been sharp, too — 12 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks against Sylvan Hills, 18 points and 17 rebounds (12 offensive) against Nettleton and 5
points and 8 boards against Greene County Tech.
“Jordon, he’s real smart,” Stringer said. “No matter what he does, he’s always going to get the job done.”
Harris’ immediate future rests in football at the University of Missouri after just one season donning the Pine Bluff stripes under coach Micheal Williams.
But after four years on the McFadden Gymnasium hardwood under Billy Dixon, Harris is a centerpiece among a sextet of seniors who’ve already left their mark on the tradition-rich program.
And there just happens to be a pretty talented junior class right behind them that includes two more football and basketball stars, Courtney Crutchfield and Austyn Dendy.
“I think it’s good that we play both sports,” said senior Jerry Hudson, a linebacker on the field and guard on the court.”
“It gives us a different environment where we get bigger on the field but faster on the court, basically, a little bit.”
Fellow senior X’Zaevion Barnett, a running back and combo guard, proved he can make plays in Saturday’s semifinal win over GCT. He had 18 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists in a 62-36 win.
“We knew what we wanted to do,” Barnett said. “That’s been the same thing the past two years. This has been a special group of kids. We’ve had the talent. We just never locked in and did what we had to do.
This year, we locked in and we got the younger kids on pace with us. That’s why I say we’re going to do it. We’re locked in. We all have the same goal.”
The confidence in the Zebras is among the first things Dixon takes note of about the seniors, although he doesn’t want too much of a good thing.
“They’re probably the most confident and probably overconfident to the point of a little slight cockiness,” Dixon said. “This group believes in themselves. They feel like they can get it done. And the seniors at heart have been really the core leaders.
Jabbar has done an excellent job. He has been a quiet leader, leading by example and handling business on a daily basis. He’s one of the first kids in the gym.
“Jordon has continued his trend in what he does, and Zae has led on the court. Those other guys have been good teammates. You’ve got to have good practice players and people to push you and make those guys better.”