Markee Mazyck has enjoyed a close relationship with the bottom of a basketball net since high school.
It started with more than 2,000 points at Cesar Chavez High School in Washington, D.C. It continued in junior college, when he was the nation's third-leading scorer in those ranks. And it remains strong at West Virginia State, where he has pumped in more than 900 points in two seasons.
Mazyck's role as a scorer for the Yellow Jackets has never been in question. But now, as his WVSU career begins to wrap up - State visits the University of Virginia College at Wise at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, then plays the University of Charleston at the Civic Center at 4 p.m. Saturday - he's taken on another role, that of a mentor. He wants to make sure the younger players he leaves behind will be ready for the future, and ready to score the points that, right now, come from his fingertips.
Most of the 2,176 points Mazyck scored in high school came from a different spot on the floor than what State fans see now. They watch Mazyck the guard, who can score from outside, drive to the hoop or stop short and pop a 15-foot jumper. At Chavez, fans mostly watched Mazyck the center.
"I was the tallest person on my team," the 6-foot-5 Mazyck said. "So I was playing center from ninth grade all the way until the 11th grade. I never dribbled the ball up the court. Every time I got the rebound, I was looking for a smaller person to get the ball to."
Then came a coaching change, and the message to Mazyck that he now played the wing. Jump hooks were off the menu. Jump shots were in.
"It had to be one of the most challenging things for me," Mazyck said. "There were times I was on the wing that, if I wasn't hitting shots, I'd just try to go back down low. That transition was very challenging."
Mazyck didn't have long to get used to his new job, but it quickly suited him. He developed even more as a wing at Seward County Community College in Kansas. And when he moved to Frederick Community College in Maryland, he was a full-time guard, and one who scored 22.5 points per game.
State head coach Bryan Poore first saw Mazyck at Frederick, and knew right away he'd love to have him on the Yellow Jackets roster.
"I kept telling my assistant at the time, 'That's the guy I want. That's the guy I want,' " Poore said. "It was kind of crazy we did end up with him."
Mazyck originally was headed to Division I Austin Peay, but academic issues sent him down the Division II route, and WVSU, which has two more Cesar Chavez players on the roster in Tyler Thompson and Tyrie Elliott, was there to welcome him with open arms. Mazyck immediately paid dividends on the score sheet.
He averaged 20.7 points last season, which would have ranked second in the Mountain East Conference had he played enough games to qualify, and averages 19.8 points this season, seventh best in the league.
Yet the Yellow Jackets, as a team, struggled in the win column. WVSU won six games in 2014-15 and has won just six in 2015-16. Mazyck felt this season was full of promise at its start, but injuries, illness, suspensions and the dismissal of leading rebounder Robert Fomby all threw monkey wrenches into those plans.
They also made it tougher for Mazyck to find an open look at the basket.
"He battles a lot," Poore said. "He gets bumped. It's hard for him even to just be able to move to get the ball, because everybody is trying to take everything away from him - not letting him get it, not letting him get it where he wants it. He's really had to work for his points."
Mazyck admits it hasn't been easy, both the season and his quest to score. He remains resolved, and has become more determined to help build a foundation for future WVSU teams. Mazyck is one of two seniors on the roster, the other being Ron Whaley, a one-year transfer from Virginia Union. There also are just three juniors on the team, leaving the bulk of the roster to underclassmen. So Mazyck offers as much advice as he can to those young players, hoping it will pay off in years to come.
"My time is coming to an end," Mazyck said. "I'd rather see them to way better than what I was able to accomplish. I just try to stay positive with the guys we have. The potential and the talent is there."