Massanutten Military Academy PG Basketball team has an exciting player joining us this year. His name is Jarvis Vaughn. As reported recently in the Staunton News Leader, Vaughn’s original plan was to attend Old Dominion University in Norfolk but that plan has been postponed for a year.
Photo from NewsLeader.com
A graduate of Lee High this past spring, Vaughn was an integral part of a basketball program there that won a state championship in 2017 and was the state runner-up this year. During both his junior and senior seasons, Vaughn was named to the Virginia High School League’s all-state basketball first team.
Last October, Vaughn gave his verbal commitment to ODU. He and those who were involved in the decision-making process came to the conclusion that a year of postgrad basketball “was best” for his future. The coaches at ODU and Vaughn all agree that a year playing for Massanutten is a good move for him and it still affords him the option to redshirt at ODU for a year if that is needed later. MMA is one of the top post grad basketball programs on the east coast and over 90 percent of their players get full scholarships to Division One Schools. Among those players is Frank Mason III, who played college basketball at the University of Kansas before being drafted by Sacramento in the 2017 NBA Draft.
After visiting Massanutten earlier this summer, Vaughn said, “I just knew it was the place I wanted to go.” As for the military lifestyle at Massanutten, Vaughn self-admits it may be difficult for him, but also believes it could be a benefit.
Fortunately, Vaughn has connected with a roommate of whom he has known for years: Jaylin Reed. Having a familiar face to navigate the new school and changes will give Vaughn some comfort and solace in the new place with new many new faces, policies and procedures for which he may not be quite accustomed.
One thing that will not make the journey with Vaughn to Woodstock is his hair. Check out the before and after photos of his new haircut, which complies with the hair length policies at MMA. His mom shared these photos via Facebook. “It was bittersweet,” Vaughn stated.
We understand parting with hair is never easy, but we appreciate his positivity and willingness to adhere to our policies at MMA. These personal changes will help him excel here.
Vaughn is expected to join the rest of the MMA cadets on campus this Friday, August 17, 2018. Be sure to welcome Vaughn and give him a warm Massanutten welcome if you see him around! Read more about Jarvis Vaughn’s story here.