BY: Randy Dunn
With the Warhawks’ basketball season coming to an end it did not come with a conference championship or even an invite to the playoffs. Although they came short of those goals and ended the season with a 3-14 record, not all is lost. A big factor that played a part in this disappointing season was COVID-19. The protocols and rules coming into play limited the Warhawks when it came to practicing and being able to become more solid as a team because of the team’s inexperience with only three seniors returning to the roster.
Last year, the Warhawks had many junior and senior leaders that knew how to win when games got tough and close. Unfortunately, this year this team was very underclassmen-heavy, which left it on the other side of victory. No matter what, they always came out swinging and gave their best effort.
Senior Maharrith Jackson had something to prove coming in from his junior season where he averaged 13.6 PPG and 6.3 RPG. He played hard all year, and he finished with 15.5 PPG and 8.4 RPG. He showed that he plays like his hair is on fire when the ball comes off the rim and continues to give the team great contribution when it comes to scoring. Jackson ended the season with being nominated to the All-GSC Conference second team which is an accomplishment not too many have achieved.
Sam Youngblood was chosen as the Conference’s “Freshman of the Year.” He averaged 9.1 PPG and had a season-high of 23 points in his debut against Valdosta State. His return next season will only give the Warhawks more firepower and experience to bounce back to have a much more impressive season. To keep up with the AUM Men’s Basketball team and other athletic teams simply log on to www.aumathletics.com.