The 6-foot-4, 190-pounder is invaluable off the Eagles’ bench. During last weekend’s Region III-6A tournament, Jumawan averaged 10.5 points and four rebounds per game, shooting 42.9 percent from 3-point range and 80 percent on free throws.

“Landyn is huge,” coach David Martinez said. “He can shoot. He’s got a scorer’s mentality, but he’s also got length. He can guard forwards, can guard posts. Can create mismatches. He’s a really good player.”

Jumawan said he can do a little bit of everything, which is why he fit in seamlessly with a veteran Atascocita team from the start.

“I came in and trusted the process,” he said. “I do whatever coach wants me to do, whether it’s grab rebounds or make a shot. Guard anyone.”

Jumawan said he appreciates how the Eagles accepted him right away. Teammates respect his ability to score at all three levels—at the rim, mid-range, and 3-point range. Coaches love his versatility, particularly on the defensive end.

“It’s been a rollercoaster,” Jumawan said. “We worked hard for this. We prepared for this all season. Everything paid off. This is nothing new for this team. They’ve been here before, and now they helped me get a chance to get there.”

PREPARATION IN PLACE

Atascocita went to state last year, but it’s an entirely different circumstance this season, especially from the perspective of preparation.

“Considering last year was the COVID year, I can remember vividly not having much time to prepare,” Martinez said. “We didn’t even have a regional tournament; we had a regional site. We were coming off an emotional (regional final) win over Summer Creek at the buzzer on Saturday, and then Monday you’ve got to prepare because the (state) semifinal game was on a Tuesday. Not a lot of time to prepare for a team that hadn’t been to the state tournament.”

In 2020, COVID-19 canceled the state tournament. In 2021, the pandemic was still accounted for.

Last year, scheduling was condensed and…