Wingstop Player of the Week: Green Valley’s Jarvis leading area in scoring

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016 | 2 a.m.

Green Valley High was considered a middle-of-the-pack basketball team entering the season. Xavier Jarvis, the Gators’ senior guard, was also a relative unknown.

But Jarvis is having a breakthrough campaign, leading Southern Nevada in scoring at 26 points per game and giving teammates confidence they can compete for a Sunrise Region championship.

Last week, Green Valley narrowly lost to Sunrise favorite Coronado, blowing a nine-point fourth quarter lead but showing they will be a contender in next month’s playoffs.

That’s especially true with Jarvis, who also averages seven rebounds and 3.5 assists per game, leading the way. He’s our Wingstop Player of the Week.

“After the game, the other coaches came up to me and said, ‘Our whole game plan was to stop your child,’” said Green Valley coach Lorenzo Jarvis, Xavier’s dad. “They scouted him and tripled teamed him, yet he still (played well).”

Xavier Jarvis’ transition started at the end of the last season when he scored more than 20 points in each of the final five games. But it wasn’t enough to prevent the Gators from being eliminated in their first postseason game.

So, in the summer, Jarvis logged long hours in the gym — everything from lifting weights to add bulk to numerous hours on the court. Most weeks, he trained every day. He also played quarterback for the Green Valley football team.

“It was a rough summer working hard every day to get better,” the younger Jarvis said.

In addition to the training, Jarvis also hit a growth spurt and added three inches to his frame. At 6-foot-3, he’s become more aggressive and capable when taking the ball to the rim.

He scored 30 of his 38 points in the second half earlier this season against Liberty, and had 34 points in back-to-back games last month. Last week, he scored 25 against Coronado and had 23 of Green Valley’s 55 points in a win against Rancho.

“My teammates are the reason. They have so much confidence in me,” he said. “The confidence my teammates have has really given me the confidence to score.”

Green Valley is 1-1 in the Southeast League and eyeing a top-2 finish to host a quarterfinal playoff game. Coronado went undefeated in the Southeast last season and appears to again be the top team. The others — Green Valley, Basic, Eldorado and Foothill — expect to challenge each other the rest of the way.

That’s where having a scoring threat such as Jarvis could give be an advantage. He hopes to lead Green Valley on a deep playoff run, and eventually earn a college scholarship. Coaches, because of his strong season, have started showing recruiting interest.

“I like that everyone doubts us,” coach Jarvis said. “We have a lot of talent at Green Valley.”

Wingstop provides a $50 gift card to the player of the week.

Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21