A year removed from a city championship, the JV boys basketball team plans to rise back to the top through hard work and mastery of basic hoops skills.

The team’s biggest competition this season is expected to come from South Atlanta, Douglass and Carver. Having made final adjustments to the roster, the team seems poised to challenge and regain the title it held in 2006.

A year ago, the JV boys fell short in the playoffs, losing to rival Douglass in the last seconds.

``I have really high expectations for the boys,’’ said head varsity coach Floyd Mack. ``They are a good group of young men. They are talented and eager to learn.’’

Like the varsity teams, the JV team also has a new schedule this year. The team’s young players have been working hard and setting high expectations for themselves.

``The team has put in a great deal of work so far during practices,’’ said freshman Kevin Short. ``Sometimes, we even get out of practice at 8:00. But that is what it takes to make it to the next level and for me to learn the game.’’ Most days, the JV team practices
from 5:30 to 7:30 alongside the varsity team.

Even fans have taken notice of the hard work the team puts in.

``When I was in the JV boys practice, they looked good to me,’’ said Ashley Tucker, a junior.
``My cousin plays for Carver though, and I think that Carver will be the team to beat. As long as Mays’ boys continue to keep working hard, they have an extremely high chance of winning.”

Though the team is focusing on wins, losses and championships, the players do see their participation in junior varsity as an opportunity to develop.

``I really want to go to the championship this year,’’ said Johnathan Williams, a sophomore with aspirations to be on next year’s varsity. ``I plan to work hard. One of my weaknesses while playing basketball is being able to dribble the ball consistently with control. I need to work on that. I can strengthen this weakness by pushing myself to work a little harder than I already am.’’

Hard work is important to the team’s success, but so is strategy and the team’s strategy
is pretty simple, according to Mack.

``I think man-to-man defense is the best defense needed to win the games,’’ said Mack.
Another key to Mack’s strategy is taking care of business in the classroom.

``I want them to focus on their academics as well as their athletics, though,’’ the coach said. ``It’s always great to know you are good at a sport, but education comes first.’’