Titans have old, new faces this season
The Jacksonville Titans had an up-anddown season in 2018 but still made it to the second round of the Class 6A State Tournament, finishing 15-16 overall. The Titans expect a lot more this year with the addition of several new players, including the highly sought after Davonte Davis, a junior who transferred from Jacksonville Lighthouse Academy. “The expectations are to do the best that you can,” longtime coach Victor Joyner said. “Every year, you’re trying to make it to the last game. You want to win your last game and make it to the finals. That’s everybody’s expectations, whether it’s realistic or not. That’s the ultimate goal. We’re striving to get as far as we can go.” Joyner said the team is working hard to get ready for the season opener next month. “This team has jelled a little bit quicker than teams in the past,” Joyner said. “Everybody wants to contribute and do their part. They are accepting their roles a lot better. They are learning a different style. We’ve got kids coming from different places, moving in and coming back to Jacksonville. Getting them all to mesh together is the main deal. “It’s a work in progress.” As a sophomore at Lighthouse, Davis averaged 18.4 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds and 2 steals per game. “Every D1 school is trying to get Davonte Davis,” Joyner said. “He’s going to be the floor general.” Joyner said sophomores Ryan and Jordan Maxwell will also be counted upon heavily again this season. “They are the two super sophomores,” he said. “They’ve both grown. They are about 6-4 now. They’ve been starting since ninth grade. I’m expecting them to step up.” Senior center Joe Phillips returns this season. Senior Mykal Moore transferred back to Jacksonville from Little Rock Christian. “I’m expecting him to step up and contribute,” Joyner said. Joyner said he’s got some younger players who will contribute, including Jaden Cope, Braxton Brown and Terrance Stewart. “We expect those youngsters to fit in there,” he said. The Titans also have a senior transfer from Trumann, Cody Roland. “He came back home to Jacksonville,” Joyner said. “He’s looking like he might be able to give us a little help in there also. “Some of them are just learning a new system. We’re just trying to mesh it together. It might be a little sloppy early on. As they continue to play, I think they’ll start pulling it together.” This year, the Titans are members of the 32-team Class 5A. They are in the 5A-Central with Little Rock Hall, Maumelle, Little Rock Parkview, Pine Bluff, Sylvan Hills, Watson Chapel and White Hall. The top four teams in the conference advance to the state tournament. The previous two seasons, teams in the former Class 6A and Class 5A played a blended conference, then had a conference tournament to determine the representatives for the state tournament. “That was a little bit different,” Joyner said of the previous two seasons. “None of the coaches really liked it very much. This year is something more traditional that you are used to doing. You have a comfort level to it. “I’m very glad to be going back to the standard where the top four get in.”