by Frank Aceto
Associate Sports Editor
In most cases, a 6-foot-4, 200-pound athlete has no place in the low post.
Tallmadge graduate Jay Mathis disagrees.
Mathis, an undersized power forward, recently completed his junior season on the Mount Union College men's basketball team.
He started 24 of 25 games for the 9-17 Purple Raiders, who competed in the Ohio Athletic Conference.
A team captain, Mathis averaged 9.7 points per game and led the team in rebounding (5.6) during the 2007-08 season.
One may wonder how Mathis can produce such numbers. He has the size of a guard and usually faces opponents who are considerably taller and bulkier than himself.
But Mathis relishes his role.
"I love it," he said. "I face guys who are a lot bigger than me, but I am a lot quicker than them.
"I can beat them off the dribble and take them away from the basket. I try to outsmart them," he added.
Mathis had to pay his dues to get to this point.
In fact, he was nowhere near the varsity squad two years ago.
"Jay played on the JV [junior varsity] team his freshman year," Mount Union head men's basketball coach Lee Hood said. "He came off the bench last year. He's gotten better every year.
"He's getting stronger and has a great work ethic. He's a very coachable young man," the coach added.
Mathis, who guided Tallmadge to a district championship during his senior campaign, had some doubts about his abilities when he first played for Mount Union.
"When I first started out, I didn't think I could do it," he said. "I just kept working hard and took advantage of my opportunity to prove myself."
His commitment forced Mathis to spend most of his time at two places. Home was No. 3 on his priority list.
"I spent a lot of time in the weight room and I played basketball year-round to prepare myself," Mathis said.
As a result, Mathis has become a regular in a lineup he couldn't touch two years ago.
"His consistency is tremendous," Hood said. "He's gotten a lot better defensively and he has learned to use his athleticism well. You can always count on Jay."
Mathis, an exercise science major, plans to attend graduate school.
First, he has some unfinished business on the basketball court to address.
"I think we'll be a lot better next season," he said. "I'm shooting for All-OAC."
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