Junior college basketball: Guyton has habit of success

Two years ago, Jamel Guyton was a key component in the Odessa High basketball team’s run to the Region I-5A tournament.

Now playing his home games about a mile from OHS, Guyton is once again headed for the postseason.

Guyton and the eighth-ranked Odessa College Wranglers open play in the NJCAA Region 5 Tournament on Thursday at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor’s Mayborn Center in Belton.

Last season, Guyton averaged 17 points per game and earned first-team All-Western Junior Conference Athletic Conference honors.

This season, the 6-foot-2 guard leads OC in scoring at 18 points per game, helping the

Wranglers to a share of the WJCAC title.

Guyton said his second season with the Wranglers (26-4) has had less uncertainty than the start of his college career.

“I didn’t know how it was going to be,” Guyton said of the start of his freshman campaign. “We had sophomores on the team and I was hearing that they ran the team, so I wasn’t really sure what I was supposed to do on the team at the time.

“I knew I was supposed to shoot it, but I didn’t really know what my role was until I started putting it in the hole. Coach (Dennis Helms) told me I was a shooter and needed to shoot.”

Guyton has taken that to heart, leading OC with 179 field goals and 410 attempts.

That includes going 94-of-226 from 3-point range.

“His shot sets the tone that people have to guard him,” Helms said. “They have to respect that.”

If anything, Guyton said, his touch has improved the past two seasons.

“I really think I shoot a little bit better than I did in high school,” he said. “I could shoot when I was in high school, but I think I shoot better here.”

Guyton said he has grown about an inch since high school while adding about 10 pounds working in OC’s weight-training program.

Assistant coach Joseph Goff said Guyton’s work in the weight room has helped the sophomore’s durability.

“Last year, he was sick a lot and injured a lot,” Goff said. “This year, he’s stepped it up and kept himself healthy. He’s worked really hard for us and Coach Helms.”

In addition to his scoring ability, Guyton has developed his game in other areas.

He ranks second on the team in assists (2.3 per game) and steals (1.5).

“The big thing is he decided he wants to play defense and do some other things,” Helms said. “He gave us one more leader besides (point guard) Delrico Lane.”

Guyton said this season’s success has been a natural progression in a process that started last season.

“It helped me out a lot,” he said. “I knew what to expect and I knew what I had to do since last year. There wasn’t really any pressure on me, I just had to step in and do it.”