Blount made right decision to attend UMO

By Allen Etzler
Published in Sports on March 24, 2015 1:48 PM

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aetzler@newsargus.com

Heading back to the locker room, JaQuan Blount knew the messages would be there.

He just didn't know what they would say.

The junior had just played nearly a flawless game, dropping in 19 points, dishing out five assists and grabbing five rebounds. And the University of Mount Olive Trojans had just beaten Montevallo (Ala.) 82-75 to move on to the Elite Eight.

So, what would the message say?

There wasn't much to critique.

"My mom is always sending me text messages, like while I'm playing, and pointing out what I'm doing wrong, or what I'm doing well," Blount said. "Like if I have a turnover I'll get back to my phone and have a message there about it."

Blount did have one turnover in this game, but it was in 34 minutes of play -- much of which he handled the ball for.

But the texts didn't say anything about that.

In fact, there was only one text. And it read a simple message: "I love you. I'm proud of you. You made the right decision."

*

Blount's decision to transfer from Pitt Community College to Mount Olive was not one he made lightly.

It was this time last year when UMO head coach Joey Higginbotham was sitting on the couch watching the NCAA Division I Tournament with his then-point guard Dory Hines.

Higginbotham's phone rang.

He answered.

Blount was on the other line.

"Hey coach, I'm committing today," Higginbotham recalls Blount telling him.

"Uh, OK. To where?" Blount responded.

"Then he told me 'the University of Mount Olive' and I just kinda sat there shocked," Higginbotham said. "It was a good moment."

The decision came late in the recruiting season. Higginbotham had hoped he would get Blount to get commit early. But Blount's mom wanted him to wait.

"She just wanted me to be patient and not rush to a decision," said Blount, who started his collegiate career at N.C. Central playing football before taking a year off and then going to Pitt. "I thought it was the right decision all along, my stepdad knew I felt that way, but she just wanted me to wait.

So Higginbotham continued putting the full-court press on the player he wanted to come in and be his next point guard. He went to at least 10 of Blount's games at Pitt. He stayed in constant contact with Blount, trying to figure out if he was the right fit or not. He told Blount to shoot more.

"I told him to be a little bit more selfish on that team, and he told me that wasn't his style of play," Higginbotham recalls. "For a kid to say that at that level says a lot about him."

Higginbotham notes that he had to build a good relationship with Blount's mom, Tracy. He did that. He used Hines, one of Blount's old playing buddies to help with the recruiting process, even though Hines would be gone by the time Blount got to school.

He did whatever he could to get Blount to come.

"We made sure he knew he was a priority," Higginbotham said.

*

Blount came in with all the accolades. He was an All-America JUCO selection at Pitt. The ego could have accompanied that. But it didn't.

The 6-foot-2 guard with an affection drawing came in as humble as any regular student.

"He's just such a good kid," Higginbotham said. "You can tell he was raised by good parents. He just did all the right things."

Through the recruiting process, Blount had built a relationship with his now-teammates. He proved himself in the offseason with an incomparable work ethic. He was the model teammate.

Higginbotham recalls an practice early in the season, when Blount dislocated his finger. He walked off the floor momentarily. He taped his finger and got back on the court.

"I think that showed all of us what he is made of," Higginbotham said.

It was for reasons like that one that Blount was voted a team captain by his teammates after being on campus for two weeks.

*

Now Blount is a starting guard who has helped lead the Trojans to their first Elite Eight appearance since 2005. He averages 11 points, five rebounds and three assists per game. He handles the ball for the majority of the game and never takes a play off -- including on the defensive side of the ball.

"JaQuan is one of the best on-ball defenders I have ever coached," Higginbotham said.

His defense off the ball, as well as his ability to move without the ball has improved as well.

"That was one of the major things coach told me I needed to improve on coming to this level," Blount said. "So I've been working on it, and I think I've gotten a lot better."

Blount is particularly effective roaming the baseline and sneaking behind defenders to get open jump shots. It took him a few games, but Blount has learned when he needs to take over with his shooting, or distributing or defense.

"He started off not shooting the ball great, but I think a lot of that was him trying to figure out what a good shot was and what wasn't," Higginbotham said. "But that adjustment period didn't take long."

*

Blount has never played this late in the year in his life.

He wondered if he would hit a wall.

His legs have held up.

If anything, he has gotten better as the season has gone along.

After being so used to watching a certain other basketball tournament at this time of the year, Blount doesn't even hesitate to say he would much rather be playing, despite how much he has to take care of his body.

"Oh yeah, playing is way better than watching," said Blount. "All of this was kind of validation that I made the right decision to come to Mount Olive."

Mom agrees.