Turner perseveres through challenging year, now thriving for Spartans

Most players would be discouraged by what Rayven Turner has been through over the last 18 months.

Turner moved from his hometown of Portland, Oregon, and began his junior year at Mountain Brook High School in fall 2019. He felt stuck back home, with none of the schools offering a clear path to what he sought most: a school with high academic and athletic standards.

“One of my goals has always been to get an academic scholarship,” Turner said. “I ended up coming down here to visit and I really liked it.”

However, Turner was never ruled eligible to play for the Spartans’ basketball team last winter, leaving him sidelined for the entire season.

Tyler Davis, the current Mountain Brook head coach after serving as an assistant for a dozen seasons, never saw any discouragement from Turner despite being relegated to being solely a practice player last year.

“He’s a guy that showed me he had a great work ethic and he never shied away from that,” Davis said. “He’s been the real deal from the first time I met him until today.”

Instead of sulking, Turner continued to press forward, determined to make the most of the situation.

“That didn’t bother me too much,” he said. “I knew the reason I came down here was to get better, both academically and as a basketball player. Last year, I kept working, with my main focus to get better.”

Despite not having a school season to showcase his talents, Turner was counting on his AAU season to make an impression on college coaches. The summer AAU season for rising seniors is typically one of the most crucial times for being noticed by potential future schools.

Then, COVID-19 happened, thwarting those plans to perform well in front of those coaches over the summer.

Turner is certainly talented enough to play at a high-level college, he just needs the right opportunity.

“Sometimes, I do get kind of stressed about it because I did put a lot of work in,” Turner said. “The main goal is to try to get into college and play at the next level. Coach [Davis] stays in my ear and tells me to keep doing what I’m doing and keep working, and something will work out for me.”

He will look to make the most of his current opportunity, as one of the leaders for this year’s Mountain Brook squad. The 6-foot-6 senior guard is the Spartans’ leading scorer and go-to playmaker.

“For me to be able to coach him is a blessing, and it’s great because his leading by example makes our team better,” Davis said. “His teammates love being around him and it’s been a joy up to this point.”

Turner said he has been working primarily on his shooting and ball-handling this season, as well as his floater. More than anything, he’s just happy to be back on the floor.

“I’m just blessed to be here and be able to play,” he said.

This season marks the first in five years in which the Spartans have not had either Trendon Watford or Colby Jones on the floor, with the duo now excelling at LSU and Xavier, respectively. That combination led the Spartans to three consecutive state championships and a runner-up finish last winter.

Head coach Bucky McMillan took the Samford job in the offseason as well, adding to the transition at Mountain Brook. The Spartans lost six games before the calendar turned to 2021, twice as many as they lost all of last year. But signs of progress have been visible.

“We have a brand-new starting lineup, guys that play hard, are understanding our system, but it’s work in progress every single day,” Davis said. “The schedule will be a good thing for us at the latter part of the season, but it will make you go through growing pains right now.”

The Spartans have seven returners, but none of them were significant contributors last season. Guys like Julius Clark are taking on bigger roles, and newcomers such as Turner and point guard Bo Barber are fitting into the system as well.

“It’s actually going well,” Turner said. “We’re a new team so we’re still trying to mold together. We had some rough losses but we’re definitely still learning from it. We did have returners that played nice roles but they’re getting used to playing more significant roles.”

Davis said there is always a growth period with any team and he is proud of how his team endured its tough stretch to start the season. The record may not be as gaudy as it has been in years past, but don’t expect many to discount the Spartans’ chances once the postseason begins.