JayVyn 4

ST. MARTINVILLE – St. Martinville Senior High point guard JayVyn Duncan spent the bulk of last summer working on his basketball skills with his father, Dennis Savoy, Jr.

The goal was simple: Like father, like son.

In 2002, Savoy played on the last St. Martinville team to win a state championship. Duncan is determined to follow in his dad’s footsteps.

“I put in a lot of work getting stronger,” Duncan said. “Ball-handling, shooting, weights. We worked on all the areas of my game so I can be the best I can be.”

The results are obvious: the 5-foot-10 senior is averaging 16 points, 8 assists and 4 rebounds for a 17-11 team that has won nine straight by an average margin of 22 points per game.

In early January, the Tigers were 8-11 and had lost three straight games.

“We started working harder and focusing on the playoffs,” said Duncan, who was a sophomore on the team that reached the Class 3A finals two years ago.

“That was a dream come true. I want to do the same thing. I want to make it to state. Having had that experience my sophomore year, it gave us the blueprint for this year.”

Duncan’s biggest games have come against his toughest opponents.

He scored 27 points against Division I No. 1 New Iberia and 27 points against Class 1A power North Central. In the 55-53 win over North Central, Duncan went head-to-head with Hurricanes star De’Vion Lavergne.

“When it gets down to the nitty gritty in a tight game, the ball is going to be in his hands,” SMSH coach Ihmaru Jones said. “The ball will be in his hands in the biggest moments.

“He can score on all three levels. That makes him hard to stop. He’s been doing a good job defensively where he leads our half-court trap. Any mistakes his teammates make, he covers them up.”

The Tigers are No. 7 in the LHSAA Division II non-select power ratings with regular season games remaining against Kaplan (7-14), Abbeville (15-6), Crowley (13-9), Beau Chene (17-12) and Franklin (14-4).

In each of the last three years, the Tigers have faced No. 1 Wossman (23-3) in the playoffs. Wossman won in 2020 and 2022. SMSH defeated the Wildcats in the 2021 semifinals.

“I like to compare us to that team,” Duncan said of the 2021 state runner-up squad. “Jevion (Sam) plays like (Datayvious Gabriel) and Harvey (Broussard is just a great player.”

Jones is confident that the Tigers have what it takes to reach their goal.

“My expectations are high because I know what we’re capable of,” he said.