Jacksonville State University Athletics

2011-12
Played in 31 of the Gamecocks’ 33 games as a junior, earning the starting nod in 17 of them…was in the starting lineup for each of the final 13 games of the year, a stretch that saw JSU go 9-4…was second on the team in scoring with 10.9 points and third in rebounding with 4.3 per game…was second on the team with 29 blocks…in OVC play, scored 9.5 points and pulled in 3.8 boards per game…over the final 13 games, in which he was in the starting lineup, he averaged 12.2 points and 4.9 rebounds per game and shot 45 percent from the floor…was named the OVC’s Newcomer of the Week on Nov. 21 after averaging 19 points and eight rebounds in a loss to Cincinnati and a win over Alabama State…in that Alabama State game, scored 30 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the floor and a 10-for-11 night at the free throw line…also had 11 boards to record his first of two double-doubles on the season…his other came vs. Presbyterian on Feb. 18, when he scored 12 points and grabbed 11 boards…scored in double figures 21 times, including a streak of eight-straight games from Jan. 14 to Feb. 8…scored 12 points in both of JSU’s OVC Tournament games…blocked three shots in a game twice, vs. Tennessee Tech on Feb. 4 and vs. Southeast Missouri on Feb. 23…swiped a season-high three steals vs. SIUE on Jan. 28.

PRIOR TO JSU
Played two seasons for head coach Phillip Shumpert at Lawson State Community College in Bessemer, Ala…was a first team all-state, all-region and all-league selection as a sophomore for the Cougars after leading them to a 25-6 record and a 13-1 mark in Alabama Community College Conference play…was second on the team with 14.4 points, thanks to a .532 field goal percentage and a .721 clip from the free throw line…averaged 6.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.0 blocks per contest, while recording three double-doubles during the year.

HIGH SCHOOL
Prepped at West Memphis High School, in West, Memphis, Ark., for head coach Larry Bray…was a first team all-state performer as a senior for the Blue Devils as a senior, while also earning team MVP accolades.

PERSONAL
Born on Jan. 21, 1991, in West Memphis, Ark.…the son of Robert Gaines…has an older sister, Tashley, who plays basketball at Arkansas Fort Smith …is majoring in sociology at JSU.