Artavious McDyess knew he wanted to play basketball in college.
At 6-foot-9 and 200 pounds, McDyess has the potential to grow into his frame and to be as dominant a post player as his nickname — “Swat” — suggests.
McDyess also has the good fortune of having great blood lines from his father, former NBA All-Star Antonio McDyess.
But the college recruiting process can give any student-athlete pause.
“I didn’t know if I wanted to JUCO first or go straight Division I with the scholarship options I had,” McDyess said.
While it’s nice to be wanted by multiple teams and coaches, it can be dizzying to hear so many people offer suggestions and advice when you’re contemplating the next important step in your life.
About a week ago, though, everything finally quieted for the Columbus High School center and he was able to make a decision. On Wednesday, McDyess made it official when he signed a National Letter of Intent to play basketball at Arkansas-Pine Bluff, a Division I school in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
“I have the grades to go to a university,” said McDyess, who also was talking to Tulsa, Texas, and Arkansas as well as Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Northeast Mississippi C.C., and Itawamba C.C. “We were debating if I had the ability and the work ethic. We just decided I was going to work hard and I was going to go to a university.”
McDyess averaged about eight points, nine rebounds, and two blocked shots a game for Columbus, which defeated Starkville High 37-33 on March 12 in the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 6A State title game in Jackson to win the program’s first championship.
McDyess said he initially thought he wanted to go to a junior college to add to experience because he thought it would be a good start. He said his parents always believed he was good enough to go to Division I from the start. He said his epiphany came about a week ago when he stopped going back and forth and made a decision.
“I almost went JUCO, but I changed my mind and went with this,” McDyess said. “Everybody put their faith in me. My parents believed in me, and people told me I was good enough to go to a university.”
McDyess knows the competition will be tougher, he will have to add bulk and size, and he will have to be more consistent and to play harder so he can hold his own. He is looking forward to a diet with plenty of steak and protein that will help him realize his physical potential. He also is eager to show how much his offensive skills and his mental game can improve to complement his defensive acumen.
Columbus High coach Luther Riley said he came up with the nickname “Swat” in an effort to give McDyess an identity and to help him move out of the shadow of his father, who was a standout with the NBA’s Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, Phoenix Suns, and New York Knicks. He said he saw McDyess mature as the season progressed and grow more confident in his abilities on both ends of the floor.
“It kind of stuck with him,” Riley said of the nickname. “He has seen he can be pretty good at this. Anytime anybody has a lot of success, and he had a lot of success this year individually and, ultimately, team success, he enjoyed it. Anytime you have success, you want a little more. Initially, he was a defensive player, and he did a great job at that, but he can score, too. He can score in different ways, he can shoot it, and he runs the floor like a gazelle. He also finishes around the rim really well.”
Riley said one of the signs of McDyess’ maturation came in a game against Forest Hill when he dunked the ball and received a technical foul for hanging on the rim. Riley said he caught himself clapping on the play because he recognized another side of McDyess emerging, one he believes will help him realize his potential at the next level.
“He is a just a great kid who has great parents and a great support system,” Riley said. “He is a great guy to coach.”
McDyess joins Jartavious Dobbs (Austin Peay), Cameron Douglas and Javontae McDavid (Pearl River C.C.), JaQuan Hines and Jarvis Jackson (Rust College), Chris Deloach (East Central C.C.), Demetrice Clopton (Jackson State), and Tyran Smith (Northeast Mississippi C.C.) as players from the 2015-16 team who have pledged to play at the next level. Deloach and Smith signed to play football.
Riley said he talked with Antonio McDyess last week at Columbus High’s graduation to get a sense of how the recruiting process was weighing on Artavious. He could tell everything was affecting Artavious and he just had to trust his gut feeling about his abilities. He believes Arkansas-Pine Bluff is getting “a steal.”
“He has instincts as a basketball player that separate him from a lot of 6-8, 6-9 guys,” Riley said. “Once he puts the weight on and gets stronger, I just thing the sky is the limit for him.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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