STARKVILLE — “He’s one of those players you look for, a tough player who doesn’t mind getting down and dirty, diving on the ground, playing hard, playing for his teammates,” sounds like a quote about a role player, a guy without much natural talent but who works hard in practice and plays hard when he gets in games.
But in this case, those words describe a player who is also skilled enough to earn a basketball scholarship. They came from Starkville High School boys basketball coach Woodie Howard, and they were spoken about 6-foot, 4-inch senior Senavion Roby, who announced Friday that he will be continuing his academic and athletic career at Jones County Junior College in Ellisville.
“When things got tough .. he didn’t mind sticking his nose into it,” Howard said. “So that brought everybody else along.”
That kind of leadership added to his skill and drive appealed to a high-quality program such as Jones. Over their past three full seasons, the Bobcats have posted records of 17-8, 20-7 and 21-7.
“I know a lot about the academics .. and they’re the only JUCO in Mississippi to win a national championship,” said Roby, who plans to study business at Jones.
That NJCAA title came in 2014, when the Bobcats defeated Iowa’s Indian Hills Community College 87-77 for the crown. But the current team holds its appeal to Roby as well.
“Coach (Newton) Mealer made me feel at home,” Roby said. Mealer just finished his first year at Jones after a very successful 12-year tenure at Center Hill High School, where he led his teams to seven district championships, five Elite 8 appearances, four state tournaments, two final fours and the 2019 Class 5A championship.
Roby said the chance to play in a similar system to what he played in at Starkville was a key factor.
Howard said Roby had the look of a future college player back during his freshman year.
“In ninth grade, he was always eager to get better,” Howard said. “He was still growing and had a game that kind of translated to the college level. … I knew he would get better, and I knew colleges would want him as the season went on.”
Roby said he considered Itawamba Community College and Mississippi Delta Community College before choosing Jones.
“I’m going to play the best way I can, whether it’s rebounding, playing defense, whatever,” he said.
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