ST. MARTINVILLE – Jevion Sam is a man of few words, and that’s OK because his jump shot speaks volumes.

The 6-foot-4 senior at St. Martinville Senior High emphasizes the “jump” when he shoots, rising high above the court before letting it sail.

More often than not, the shot finds its mark.  Sometimes five or six in a row make their way into the net.

“He has that beautiful jump shot,” SMSH coach Ihmaru Jones said.  “I love it.  You’re unstoppable.  Who is going to stop that jump shot when you’re up high like that?  You’re way in the air.  All they can do is put their hand up, and you’re not even seeing their hand.”

The Tigers have a habit of playing better as the season goes on.  Two years ago, SMSH reeled off 10 straight wins to reach the state finals for the first time in nearly 20 years.  The Tigers finished with a 23-12 record and a runner-up finish to Madison Prep.

The Tigers began last season 5-4 before winning 20 straight games to reach the quarterfinals.  

They’re currently on a six-game winning streak after beginning the slate with an 8-11 record.  The winning streak was preceded by three straight losses.  Sam missed two of those three with an ankle injury.

In his first game back, Sam shot 75% from the floor to finish with a game-high 21 points as the Tigers dropped a 58-57 overtime thriller to 21-4 St. Thomas More.  With Sam regaining his health, the Tigers have won their last six games by an average margin of 20 points.

Last week, he went off for a career-high 23 points with five 3-pointers in a 72-41 rout of Erath.

“Oh man, he shot the ball well at Erath,” said Jones, who is playing Sam at point guard while JayVyn Duncan is recovering from an illness.  “We need him to be a beast on the mid-range jumper.  When he gets hot, we know he’s going to make 7-of-10 of those elbow jumpers.”

Sam, Duncan and Harvey Broussard, the team’s three seniors, are the primary scorers.  Each is capable of leading the team on any given night.  Sam is averaging 13 points, and Jones would like to see that total increase.

“I’d like for him to be more active in getting his shot,” Jones said, “whether it’s coming off a screen, using somebody as a screen, or coming around from a handoff and pulling up.”

Sam, who patterns his game after NBA star Kevin Durant, hones his skills with countless hours of practice with a shooting machine.

“I’ll take 300 shots,” said Sam, who claims to have made 25 in a row during a workout.  “When I get into a rhythm, my teammates find me where I can try to make more shots.  It feels good, I  guess.  I just do what I can do to help the team win.”