The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

FROM humble beginnings to a two-sport star in the Houston, Texas, prep scene, Mavin Saunders has become a highly sought after recruit for the class of 2014.

Saunders, well-known for his basketball prowess, has emerged as a star for the Kinkaid Falcons, not only on the hardwood, but for the first time in his athletic career appeared on the football gridiron as well.

As one of the most imposing wide receivers on the field for the Falcons, Saunders helped the team to an 8-3 record and a playoff run in the Southwest Prep Conference.

He totalled 40 receptions for 505 yards and six touchdowns in his first season.

His average of 12.63 yards per catch finished second on the team. Saunders’ top performance came in a 66-7 blowout win over St Andrew’s (Houston, Texas) when he caught four passes for 74 yards and three touchdowns.

Other major games included nine catches, 67 yards and a touchdown against S. Pius X, five catches for 72 yards against Kelly Catholic (Beaumont, Texas) and six catches for 83 yards against Episcopal (Bellaire, Texas).

On the basketball court, Saunders has already garnered the attention of major Division I NCAA programmes, including perennial Big East title contender, the Connecticut Huskies.

Saunders, the offensive leader of the Falcons, has led the team to a 3-1 record thus far.

In addition to Connecticut, he has also received offers from the USC Trojans and Auburn Tigers. In his junior season, Saunders averaged 16.5 points and 8.6 rebounds per game.

He led the Falcons to a 21-10 record, 6-2 in the league and ranked 110 in the state of Texas. The 6’6”, 225 pound Saunders moved to Houston before his freshman year of high school and helped the Falcons finish fifth in the Southwest Preparatory Conference last season and plays AAU with the Franchize All-Stars.

He reportedly chose Kinkaid because of its strong academic reputation, and he hopes to study business in college.

Colleges have also taken notice of Saunders, who plays AAU basketball for the Franchize All-Stars. He’s received offers from defending NCAA Champion, UConn, as well as Auburn, Tennessee and USC.

In his first season in Houston, Saunders burst onto the scene with the St Marks Lutheran School and led his team to the school’s first state championship when they defeated San Antonio Lutheran.

Saunders finished with 52 points, 21 rebounds, nine assists, and seven blocks.

The Bimini native played locally for the TA Thompson Scorpions until he left for Houston and joined the Frank Rutherford Elite Development Programme.

“The programme was created to fund projects that help young Bahamians achieve academic excellence at the collegiate level. I am helping young Bahamians to fulfil their dreams by furthering their education, where they may not have been able to attend college any other way,” Rutherford said.

“I have helped over 60 students to obtain scholarships in the United States at colleges and universities throughout. The entire time that the student is in the United States, I continue to be their mentor and father figure away from home along with their family members that live in the Houston area.”