MACON — Someone give Daquarius Mallard a chance to play college basketball.
The former Noxubee County High School guard is unbelievably quick and can score in bunches, as evidenced by his 20-point outburst in the final seven minutes against Starkville High in a game earlier this season.
He averaged 20 points per game as a senior to lead the Tigers to a 20-5 record and a berth in the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 4A North State tournament.
He”ll conform to any system or style of play; Mallard, though he led the team in scoring, often worked to get the ball inside to forward Earnest Hunter before looking for his shot.
Mallard”s accomplishments during his senior season were enough to earn him recognition as The Dispatch Large Schools Boys Basketball Player of the Year.
The only hangup for college coaches? Mallard is 5-foot-9.
The premium on size — regardless of position — is neither new nor surprising in recruiting, but Mallard hasn”t received receive an offer to play at any level.
Mallard could have an opportunity to walk on at East Mississippi Community College, where he is about to begin summer school.
“(Lions coach Mike White) told me to see him once I start summer school,” Mallard said. “Hopefully, it works out. With me being a small guard, I know that”s the reason I haven”t gotten a lot of interest.”
Still, Mallard has taken being overlooked in stride as he prepares for college. He has no doubt he can bring the same pace, tenacity, and scoring ability to the next level.
Mallard scored 20 or more points in 13 games this season, and scored in double figures every game.
Despite his size, Mallard grabbed 4.1 rebounds per game.
“I”m very, very surprised he didn”t get any attention, even from the junior colleges in this area,” Noxubee County High boys basketball coach T.J. Billups said. “He is small, but I always thought the name of the game was scoring, and that”s what he does. He knows how to score from the 3-point line and in the paint.
“Sometimes colleges overanalyze people. Sometimes they miss out on a player”s heart and determination.”
Mallard, like many standouts in high school, played more than one sport. In the fall, he was a defensive back on the football team and had four interceptions and 12 pass breakups.
Athletes improve in the summer, and when they play more than one sport, making strides more than one can be difficult.
“During the summer, we”d go practice (for football) and lift weights,” Mallard said. “Then after that — most players did both sports — we”d go straight to the gym for workouts. You get used to it if you want to play both sports, and I needed to get better on the field and the court.
“I think the physicality in football helped me get tougher on the court. I saw my defense and strength get better.”
As a senior, more was expected of the Mallard after the Tigers closed the 2010 season with a district title. Mallard became more of a facilitator and worked to get younger players positioned on the floor. He often deferred to Hunter, who became a tough, double-double threat on the block.
“He was our team MVP his junior year,” Billups said. “It”s the ultimate sacrifice and a sign of a leader.”
Opposing coaches noticed Mallard”s progression.
“When we played him his junior year, he was aggressive and fast-paced,” Starkville High coach Greg Carter said. “You just had to catch up and try to slow him down. This year, he was more patient and played off his teammates more. It”s kind of hard to explain. It”s almost like he took a step back and got better at the same time.”
Against the Yellow Jackets, Mallard had his best performance of the season with a game-high 36 points. With the Tigers trailing by 20 with seven minutes to go in the fourth quarter, Mallard reeled off 20 points, including four 3-pointers to tie the game at 80 with 30 seconds remaining. Starkville responded with a 3-pointer and Mallard took the last shot with a chance to tie but missed.
“There were three defenders on me that game,” Mallard recalled. “That game didn”t just show me where I was at (as a player), I think it was a defining point to see where we were as a team. I”ll never forget that game.”
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