Seniors leading strong surge for Green Wave
For Daily Times Leader
Entering last summer, he was curious as to what kind of cards he had to play.
Three weeks into the regular season, West Point head boys' basketball coach Marquis Burnett knows he has a winning hand.
After a strong showing in summer ball in 2022, the Green Wave are out to a 13-4 record, own first place in Class 5A, Region 1, and are making a statement that a state championship is within their grasp.
Led by four seniors, West Point is currently on a streak during which it has won six of seven games and the Green Wave has shown their coach his team is led by a collection of aces.
Seniors MJ Smith, Elijah Young, D. J. Willis and Shakobe Hammond have all brought something to contribute to the team and have the Green Wave currently playing their best so far this season.
"All together, they do something different," Burnett said. "They're great at shooting, ball handling and defense. They offer leadership. They all bring a lot to the table."
Young, a point guard and shooting guard, made it very clear this team's goal is simple.
"We just want to win the state championship," Young said. "We're playing our best ball right now."
Young, a 6-foot-2 point guard/shooting guard, said the one area the team needs to improve on is rebounding.
"We're good shooters, (and) we play good defense," Young said. "Sometimes we leave an area too quick and we miss out on a rebound."
Young is in his final season of basketball after signing a baseball scholarship with East Mississippi Community College, where he will pitch and play first base.
Another area that concerns Burnett and Smith, the team's small forward-power forward-center, is turnovers.
"We've got to lower our turnovers. We're playing good defense and we have good shot selection," Burnett said. "I have high expectations for this team and they have high expectations, too. I feel like a state championship is a realistic goal. We just have to take better care of the ball."
Smith agreed, saying turnovers hurt in a 52-46 loss to Starkville on January 6, the second loss to the Yellow Jackets this season. Smith is returning to the court for his second season after an injury forced him to miss his sophomore season.
"The first time (Starkville) beat us by double digits," Smith said. "The second time – the turnovers cost us. It hurt (the team's record), but it didn't hurt our confidence. Our goal is to go to state and win."
Willis, a 6-foot shooting guard, said he enjoys watching his team compete from buzzer to buzzer.
"We never give up," said
Willis, who is averaging approximately 20 points per game. "When we're on the court, we do what we need to do to win the game. We're shooting the ball well and we're moving the ball better. We're averaging about 70 to 75 points per game, so we're playing good ball."
Willis said he hopes to play college basketball and one day make it to the NBA.
"I think I can make it to the pros if I can keep my head on,” Willis said.
Hammond, in his second year of basketball, said what makes the Green Wave seniors such good leaders is their willingness and ability to speak up when the opportunity presents itself.
"The key is being vocal. We're all vocal," said Hammond, whose selfimposed nickname "23" is after the uniform number worn by Hall- of- Famer Michael Jordan. "We have the best defense in the state. We play man defense and we're aggressive."
Hammond, a 6- foot- 4 point guard, said his choice for colleges has narrowed to EMCC, Itawamba Community College and Mississippi State, where he plans to major in Engineering and play basketball at the next level.
He added that his goal of playing college ball has the same philosophy as West Point winning the state crown.
"You can do anything if you put your mind to it," Hammond said.