MT. MORRIS, MI -- After two years of battling injuries and losing more games than he won, J.D. Rawls was determined to make his senior year a memorable one of the basketball court.
Rawls spent virtually every day last summer with a basketball in his hands, often working out eight hours -- or more -- in an effort to raise his game to another level and help turn things around for Mt. Morris.
The hard work has paid off.
Rawls has been perhaps the most dangerous scorer in the Flint area this season, averaging 25.3 points while helping Mt. Morris put together a 13-4 record after the Panthers went a combined 11-31 the past two years, when Rawls battled a torn ligament in his left foot as a junior and a fractured bone in his right leg as a sophomore.
“I knew I had to go out with a bang my senior year so I just had to get in the gym a lot, going to the YMCA, getting shots up, going to the weight room trying to get quicker, stronger, faster,” said Rawls, a 6-foot, 160-pound combo guard.
“Just about every day, I’d go about 12 and get home about nine. I was in there a lot. I improved on my free throws a lot, my 3-point shot and finishing around the basket.”
Last year, Rawls averaged 17 points as Mt. Morris posted a 5-16 record.
But with three games remaining in the regular season this year, he’s on track to break the single-season school record of 23.4 points set in 1988-89 by Scott Winterlee, an All-State football player who played baseball at the University of Michigan.
His 430 total points rank second to Winterlee's 516, a record that could fall if Rawls averages 21 points through the opening round of the district tournament. His 763 career points rank second to Winterlee's 1,133.
"He really doesn't have a weakness," said Mt. Morris coach Steve Perryman Jr. "Last year, he averaged 17-18 a game and it was 90 percent scoring around the rim. What he's done this year is he's shooting over 40 percent from 3(-point range) and he's over 85 percent from the free throw line. That's where the majority of the jump has come from.
"We challenged him in the off-season to improve his shooting from the free throw line and the perimeter, specifically, and he spent a lot of time in the gym. He did 90 percent of that on his own. I’m really happy for him and he deserves his success
"He's a gym rat. He's anywhere he can get in."
Rawls’ versatility was on display in Wednesday’s 60-52 win over Chesaning, a victory that avenged a 75-70 loss to the Indians last month.
While the rest of the Panthers were struggling in the first half, Rawls scored 16 of his game-high 23 points to keep Mt. Morris within 33-25 at the intermission before his teammates came to life in the second half.
Rawls scored using a variety of methods in the first half.
He scored one basket after getting a steal, got another on the fast break after driving hard from mid-court, put back an offensive rebound in traffic for another, made a layup, hit a mid-range jumper and sank a 3-pointer while going 3-for-4 from the free throw line.
Before anyone gets the idea that Rawls is a one-dimensional player, Perryman says he excels at both ends of the floor.
“He’s a very good defender,” Perryman said. “He takes a lot of pride in it. Last year, he always guarded our opponent’s best player. This year, we’ve had some kids develop into good defenders so he hasn’t had to do that as often. He would rather but we like to play him off that guy and concentrate on scoring.
"But he’s an excellent defender. He’s averaging more than three steals per game. He’s also averaging 7.8 rebounds per game. He does it all.”
Rawls, who broke a 66-year-old school record with 42 points vs. LakeVille in December, credits fellow seniors Ian Bruce and Zeke Briscoe with helping him succeed this season. Both have also elevated their games this season.
The 6-4 Briscoe is averaging 15 points and eight rebounds while Bruce is averaging 10 points and eight rebounds. When Rawls misfires on a shot, Briscoe and Bruce are often there to get the rebound and create second opportunities for the Panthers in general and Rawls specifically.
Add it all up and Mt. Morris is in position to earn at least a piece of a league championship for the first time since 2003. With a 10-2 record in the Mid-Michigan Activities Conference, the Panthers are a half-game behind Ovid-Elsie, which is 10-1 in the league and 14-1 overall.
Mt. Morris is the only team to beat Ovid-Elsie this season, winning 63-56 last month, and the teams meet again tonight.
Away from basketball, Rawls said he enjoys spending time with his family, traveling and fishing with his grandfather. Although he’s an only child, he has a large extended family that includes cousin Thomas Rawls, the former Flint Northern football star who has spent the last four seasons in the NFL with the Seahawks and Bengals.
Rawls is drawing interest from colleges -- Chicago State and Mott Community College are among those who are pursuing him -- and he hopes to eventually play professional basketball at some level.
“I think he could definitely play Division II basketball,” Perryman said. "If he goes to a (junior college), I wouldn’t rule out he has the ability to grow into a Division I player. Right now, he’s a bit undersized.
“He’s a great kid. He’s popular among the student body. Everybody seems to like him. He’s easy to get along with, he’s got a great sense of humor. He’s a very vocal leader in games. He plays with a chip on his shoulder. He definitely leads the team and they follow his lead.”