Green Valley’s Xavier Jarvis anxiously awaits offers
March 10, 2016 - 10:15 am
The prep basketball season ended last week, but the recruiting season is just getting started.
And for unsigned area seniors such as Green Valley’s Xavier Jarvis, that means an anxious six weeks.
Jarvis has yet to receive a scholarship offer despite being second in the state in scoring this past season, but the Gators’ 6-foot-3-inch combo guard said Tuesday he is confident his future will be decided before the spring signing period begins April 13.
“I guess I’m just looking for the right opportunity,” Jarvis said. “I think I’m pretty adaptable. I think I’ll be all right wherever I am.”
Jarvis was one of the area’s most improved players, as he helped the Gators go 14-13 and reach the Division I Sunrise Region tournament. After averaging 10.3 points as a junior, Jarvis was Nevada’s second-leading scorer regardless of division at 26.1 points.
Using an improved midrange game, Jarvis had 30 or more points seven times, including a 45-point game against Las Vegas on Jan. 18, and he never scored fewer than 11 points despite seeing an array of exotic defenses designed to slow him.
“Not because he’s my kid, just as a coach, I’ve never had a player take a jump like that,” Green Valley coach Lorenzo Jarvis said. “He put in the work over the summer, and he just really, really committed to being the best he could be this year.”
Xavier Jarvis has drawn interest from the University of Alberta (Canada), Alcorn State, Coppin State, Florida-Gulf Coast, Grambling State and Division II Westminster (Utah).
Xavier Jarvis is hoping to follow in the footsteps of his sister, Jazmine (Manhattan) and his brother, Lorenzo, (Presentation College in South Dakota) by playing basketball in college.
“I’m not really trying to live up to the expectation,” Xavier Jarvis said, “but both of my older siblings played (at Green Valley), so it’s always been like a little motivation to be better, be the best to leave as a Jarvis.”
Lorenzo Jarvis said if a scholarship offer doesn’t come this month, his son would play this spring with the Las Vegas Knicks on the travel circuit in an effort to boost his stock.
“To me, just from talking to all the college coaches I’ve been talking to, I think something should happen before that,” Lorenzo Jarvis said. “It’s kind of the waiting game. He gets up every morning ready to work and doesn’t complain, and he’s excited to see what happens. He has the interest. It’s just them putting it on the table and saying ‘Hey, we want you, we’re going to offer it and make it official.’”
■ MS. TOUCHDOWN — Foothill flag football quarterback Jadyn McArthur set an unofficial Clark County School District record this season for passing and total touchdowns.
McArthur, who guided the Falcons to the Division I title game, finished with 91 passing TDs and added 19 rushing scores. Her 110 total touchdowns surpassed the previous unofficial mark of 104 set last season by Cimarron-Memorial’s Jayme Luke (63 passing, 41 rushing).
■ CERRONE HONORED — Centennial baseball coach Charlie Cerrone, who is set to begin his 17th season with the Bulldogs, recently was named American Baseball Coaches Association Region 8 Coach of the Year for 2015.
Cerrone, who also spent one season at Palo Verde, has a career record of 377-216-1.
■ RECENT COMMITMENT — Odyssey Charter senior Clayton Alenik to Air Force for men’s tennis.
Contact reporter David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidSchoenLVRJ.