Cameron Douglas and Javontae McDavid believed they could make a splash in their final season with the Columbus High School boys basketball team.

Both players acknowledged they would have to make adjustments playing for new coach Luther Riley, but they agreed the Falcons had the size, depth, and potential to realize Riley’s title aspirations.

As with any team, there were ups and downs along the way, but Douglas and McDavid never wavered in their commitment to Riley’s team principle. If they needed to score, they did it. If they needed to defend, they did it. If they needed to set the tone in practice to get the team back on track, they did it. As a result, Columbus was able to stay on course and make history by winning the school’s first state championship in boys basketball.

On Friday, Douglas and McDavid reaped the rewards of their efforts and wrapped up their prep basketball careers in style by signing National Letters of Intent to play basketball at Pearl River Community College in Poplarville.

For McDavid, who started the season by winning the team’s 3-point shooting and slam dunk competition at Meet the Falcons Night, the signing ceremony was especially sweet because it was a tangible reward for all of the time and energy he has invested as a member of the program. Called a “gym rat” by those in the program, McDavid played a key role at point guard in helping Columbus finish 27-5 and No. 1 in The Clarion-Ledger’s final boys basketball poll.

“I would like to thank God for giving me an opportunity to be a part of this Columbus tradition and to come out here and work hard with coach Riley and everything he has done with me and Cam,” McDavid said. “We struggled at the beginning, but now we are ready to produce and make new things happen as we forge our way into college basketball. I am grateful for everything we have done an accomplished.”

McDavid, a 5-foot-9 said he was confident he would realize an opportunity to play at the next level. He had plenty of interest from other schools, but he said he felt like he was at home when he visited the “beautiful” PRCC campus.

More importantly, McDavid, who averaged nine points and four assists a game, said he can see himself being a gym rat at PRCC.

“Coach said the gym will be open 24/7, so I will be in there late nights and early mornings working hard to be able to go to the next level,” McDavid said.

Douglas, a 6-4 guard/forward, averaged 12 points and four rebounds a game. He said the entire package at PRCC impressed him. He said PRCC started to recruit him early in the year and then

Columbus assistant boys basketball coach Gary Griffin said Douglas and McDavid put in the time and made sacrifices to take the next steps in their basketball careers. He said they epitomize what it means to be a team player because both players “bought in” to Riley’s approach that enabled the Falcons to capitalize on the sum of their parts to win the school’s first boys basketball state title.

“I have been fortunate to be around these guys since they were in the seventh grade,” Griffin said. “I know the time they have time and work they have put in, so it feels good to know they’re going to go on and play at the next level. Academically, they maintain a high grade-point average. Athletically, they do everything in their power to do not only what the coaches ask them to do, but they also work on their games outside of basketball.”

Griffin said McDavid could have been a starter on every team in the state of Mississippi, but he said he accepted a role off the bench because the coaches felt that is direction the Falcons needed to go to be most successful. The decision proved to be effective in the state championship game, as McDavid scored a game-high 14 points and hit four key free throws in the final minute to lift the team to a 37-33 victory against Starkville on March 12 at Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson.

Griffin also said Douglas could have been selfish and disrupted team chemistry because he wanted to take more shots, but he said Douglas never complained. As a result, both young men were part of history.

“Cam’s game is steady rising,” Griffin said. “I always thought he was one of the top two guards in the state of Mississippi. He is very athletic. He is very versatile. He can defend and he can score. … Javontae is a great shooter. I think when he has more time other skills will develop and all of those things will go to another level.”

Riley, who was unable to attend the signing, said he is especially proud of Douglas and McDavid because they are “great young men” with bright futures.

“I think them going to school together gives them some kind of comfort because when you go into a different environment and have someone to play with it is a lot more comforting on the court, socially and in the classroom,” Riley said. “I think those two guys showed flashes of how good they are going to become. As I told them (Friday), I can’t wait to see a year from now how much they have grown and how much they have developed as young men and basketball players.”

Riley said earlier in the season he thought Douglas was one of the top five two guards in the state. He believes Douglas will make the most of the chance to showcase his game at the junior college level.

“Cam is athletic, he can shoot, and he can finish with either hand above the rim,” Riley said. “I think a year in junior college will expose him a little more to mid-major Division I and to high Division I scholarships.”

Riley also expressed the same optimism about McDavid. In fact, he said he talked with the PRCC coaches and received a glowing report about his senior point guard’s performance in a workout/tryout at the school.

More importantly, Riley said both players have intangibles that will help them have success in whatever they choose to do.

“One of the separators to get them great looks at colleges is their character,” Riley said. “They are two outstanding young men and students and have great families. It has been a joy and an honor for me to coach those guys.”

Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor

Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.