Jacksonville Titans aiming for another trophy
Conference: 5A-West
Coach: Victor Joyner
Assistant coach: Monty Patel
2019-20 record: 20-5
Returning starters: Seniors Ryan Maxwell Jr., TJ Stewart, Braxton Brown and Jordan Maxwell; and junior Christian Moore
COVID-19 was about the only thing that stopped Jacksonville last season.
Victor Joyner’s Titans finished 20-5 overall, including a 13-1 run through the 5A-Central. The league’s top seed for the Class 5A State Tournament, they knocked off J.A. Fair in the opening round, 57-35; Greene County Tech in the quarterfinals, 82-69; and Marion in the semifinals, 54-53, to set up a title game with West Memphis, top seed from the East.
But when the pandemic shut down the country in March, those championship games were canceled, and trophies were given to each of the finalists.
Davonte Davis graduated and is now an Arkansas Razorback, but with five players with starting experience returning, Jacksonville could have another special season in 2020-21, the coach said.
“I’ve been doing this 33 years,” Joyner said. “On paper is one thing, but getting them to play as a unit, together, takes a little time. When you have a kid the quality of Davonte, he did so much those kids didn’t realize he did. You put them in all those roles, and all those roles have changed now.
“Now we have to put that puzzle piece together, so it’s going to be a little different.”
Returning starters include Ryan Maxwell Jr., a 6-6 senior stretch forward; Christian Moore, a 5-11 junior point guard; TJ Stewart, a 6-4 senior post; and Braxton Brown, a 6-1 senior guard. Jordan Maxwell, a 6-6 senior forward, was a starter before tearing an ACL. Joyner said at press time that Jordan Maxwell was probably 90 percent.
“Ryan can do it all, play all five positions,” Joyner said. “His ball-handling has improved tremendously. He has a lot more confidence with the ball this year.
“[Stewart] is a high-energy guy for us. He hits the boards and does all the dirty work. He gets out there and does whatever you ask him to do. He’s a very coachable kid. We’re going to try to increase his ball-handling. He’s getting recruited, and people want to see him play on the floor a little bit. We’ll give him the option to pop out and do some things he wouldn’t normally get to do.”
The coach called Brown “one of the most athletic kids on the team.”
“If we can get him to utilize his athleticism, the sky’s the limit for him,” Joyner said. “He has all the intangibles to be a good point guard or 2 guard at a mid-major. He can shoot it and be very explosive. We’re trying to get him to do that on a regular basis and get him to stay that way all the time.”
Joyner said Moore is a pure scorer.
“He is going to explode on the scene,” the coach said. “He has a lot of talent. He is a deadly 3-point shooter. Last year, his role was to stretch the floor and get people off Davonte so the lane would be open more. This year, with Davonte gone, the ball is going to be in Christian’s hands. He can score in multiple ways and is going to be a hard cover. His body is starting to fill out a little bit, and we’re looking for him to be a more integral cog in our offense.”
Joyner said Jordan Maxwell has a similar game to his cousin Ryan.
“They almost mirror each other,” the coach said, adding that all of the starters have a chance to play collegiately.
“They’ve got a chance to be that good if we can get them to their full potential,” he said. “We’re trying to tap into what they have. We’ll see.”
With eight seniors on the roster, the team strength is experience, Joyner said.
“A lot of the guys have been in the wars,” he said. “They understand what this is all about and know what it feels like to be a state champion. They know that feeling and that grind, and that’s the good thing.
“If this team has a weakness, it’s mental and physical toughness. By nature, some of these guys are not that way all the time, and if we can get them to be physically aggressive every night, every play, every moment, I think they can be one of the better teams I’ve coached.”