Dothan High basketball player James Pouncy Jr. signs with Enterprise State

The email was a scholarship offer to play basketball at Enterprise State Community College.

“I was overjoyed,” Pouncy said. “I couldn’t believe it. I have been working just to be looked at and to see an email that said I had a scholarship just blew me away.”

Pouncy, a 6-foot-5 senior center, planned to sign the scholarship from ESCC and head coach Jeremaine Williams late Tuesday afternoon.

With the coronavirus outbreak, scholarships from college programs are now being sent by coaches and being signed by athletes through emails instead of in-person ceremonies.

“I am honored,” Pouncy said. “I honestly didn’t believe that I would be playing basketball in college. I am honestly thankfully for the opportunity to continue especially to keep my education going and to play basketball, something that I love.”

A honorable mention Dothan Eagle Super 12 honoree this past season, Pouncy averaged 8.6 points, 12.3 rebounds, 3.0 blocks, 1.8 assists and 1.5 steals a game for the Wolves. He helped Dothan to a 14-7 record and to the Class 6A sub-regional round.

He becomes the first basketball player to sign a scholarship as a member of the Dothan Wolves, a first-year program following the consolidation of Dothan and Northview.

Pouncy played for the Dothan High Tigers his previous three seasons.

“He was a true joy to coach,” Dothan Wolves coach and former Northview coach Janasky Fleming said. “I was proud to coach him instead of against him as I did for the previous three years.

“James can play any position from the three to the five and that is what catches the eyes of college coaches. Coach Williams had seen enough of him to know what kind of player he is and what kind of person he is. He is one of the smartest kids in our senior class.”

At 6-foot-5, Fleming said Pouncy gave opposing defenses problems with his dual ability of playing inside and outside.

“He was a mismatch for defenses because of his size and his ability to take defenders off the dribble as our tallest player yet he was one of our better shooter on 3-pointers.”

Pouncy also points to versatility as his basketball strengths.

“My dribbling and shooting are probably the best thing about me plus my post-up skills and being aggressive on the court,” Pouncy said.

For several years, Pouncy has usually been one of the tallest, if not tallest, player for his team, thus he learned how to play down low early in his prep career, but he still developed some outside skills.

“I have been playing in the post since middle school,” Pouncy said. “I had to work on it and I became really great at it, so they kept me at this position. If there was a situation where I needed to be outside to shoot then I would be there to make the shot or I can dribble, drive and dunk.”

Pouncy said he also received interest from Baldwin University in Virginia, but the coronavirus limited the recruiting process, especially from junior colleges coaches, some of whom prefer to conduct tryouts.

“It was a struggle,” Pouncy said. “It made it worse for me. Nobody can actually go out and search for people. No one can go out and play for exposure.”

The Boll Weevil signee said he enjoyed watching Enterprise State play a couple of games during the season and feels his style of play matches up well with the team.

Though he played center at Dothan, he will likely be asked to play more outside at ESCC.

“I actually have seen them play before and I believe I will be a great fit for them,” Pouncy said. “I feel I will be able to better my game there and be able to play at a higher level.

“I won’t be the tallest person anymore and they will actually teach me how to play the guard position, so I will be able to play inside and out. I think it will help me and help the team with more wins.”

Following his two years at ESCC, Pouncy plays to transfer to a four-year school and continue studying computer science/technology and programming.