Mayflower – Off the hardwood, Mayflower High’s Braxtyn McCuien is a typical 16-year old kid that enjoys the playful interaction between his friends and family.
But once McCuien takes the floor with his Eagles teammates, all eyes are on the 6-foot-7 inch junior.
Whether he likes it or not, McCuien has now become a fixture on everyone’s basketball radar.
The buzz began shortly after he was seen slamming home a dunk on social media giant YouTube at a AAU National Tournament in Las Vegas as a seventh grader.
But no matter what happens on the court, McCuien always projects a stone faced persona that has drawn comparisons to future NBA Hall of Famer and former San Antonio Spur Tim Duncan.
McCuien is a selfless player who rarely screams after an important basket or even after he makes a spectacular defensive play and is also mature enough to remain calm and collected when opponents talk trash.
There is not even any snapback or demonstrative arguing when he is whistled for a foul.
McCuien’s game simply speaks for itself and whenever he decides to communicate on the court, his opponents usually have their hands full.
“I always let my game do the talking.” McCuien said succinctly. “People have to stop me before I say anything.”
McCuien is indeed a throwback player in an era of me-first millenniums who currently litter the landscape of high school basketball.
Armed with his cool-as-a-cucumber attitude, dry wit and prankster ways, McCuien could very well be the perfect player to finally put Mayflower on the state basketball map.
McCuien led the Eagles to a 23-10 record in his first varsity campaign last season.
Mayflower’s playoff run ended in a disappointing 70-59 loss to eventual 3A state runner-up Drew Central in the state semi-finals last March.
It was the farthest a Mayflower boys’ team has advanced since 2015 when they lost 57-40 in the title game to Episcopal.
McCuien and his Eagles will be looking to defend their championship in the prestigious Joe Mallett Classic which begins play on Monday, December 2 at St. Joseph High School in Conway.
Last December, McCuien finished with a career-high 29 points – including 14 down the stretch – eight of them from the foul stripe to help the Eagles secure the trophy.
Usually on a home basketball game night in football crazed Mayflower, there were less than a hundred fans assembled in Eagle Gym on a regular basis.
But every since McCuien has suited up in the purple and gold, the arena has seen an increase of traffic which has included a handful of inquisitive college scouts.
Representatives from Texas Southern University, Northeastern State and Lyons College are among the many teams who have already begun jockeying for McCuien’s services when he graduates in 2021.
Off the court, he can sometimes be mistaken genetically for Junior Johnson, the eldest son on the ABC TV comedy series Blackish, but he would rather his on court game be likened to his basketball hero Kevin Durant.
“What’s not to like (about Durant) because he does everything.” McCuien said. “I know he’s better than me but that’s who I am trying to get like. He is the best player right now.”
Like Durant, McCuien has a doting mother who has put her son in the best possible position to realize his dream of playing in the NBA someday.
Even if his talent wasn’t evident at the very beginning.
“When I saw him play early on I was like ‘Oh man, I don’t think this is your sport, just stick with baseball.” laughed Braxtyn’s mother Carrie Dycus. “But in the fifth grade I saw that he had something. “He didn’t get the nonchalant attitude from me because I have a bad temper. He did a little bit of everything though – rebounding, scoring and played good defense.”
Even though McCuien hung up his baseball gloves for the last time a few years ago, the competitive spirit has remained for basketball.
Mayflower head basketball coach Brent Stallings is now gratefully reaping the benefits of that decision as the Eagles look to make another deep playoff run.
“Braxtyn is a great post player because you don’t see a lot of kids that can do what he does.” Stallings said. “He can pick it up and drive right by you, he can shoot threes or he can post you up down low. He’s just a hard guard for most high school kids because he is long, lean and athletic.”
His biggest supporter is hoping for a continuation of what McCuien has already done to put college scouts and media types on notice to this point.
“I try to tell him that when you are a leader everybody follows suit.” Dycus said. “When he falls back so do his teammates. When he plays well, his team follows. And that’s what it takes to be a leader.”
Faulkner County Focus Sports 