Chaparral grad leaving mark at Air Force

      Jarmica Reese cut a distinctive figure while waiting to check into The Orleans on Friday afternoon.
      At a lean 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, Reese was clad smartly in his deep blue Air Force uniform and matching cap -- while slurping fruit punch from a large Styrofoam cup.
      The beverage was fitting. Reese's senior season with the Falcons has been pretty sweet.
     

Jarmica Reese

"I've always been more into winning games and doing whatever it takes to try and win," said Reese, a graduate of Chaparral High School and one of the key figures tonight when Air Force visits UNLV (7:35 p.m., Thomas & Mack Center). "I never expected to carry the scoring load. I just want to do whatever it takes to win games."
      Entering tonight's Western Athletic Conference Mountain Division opener for the Rebels, Air Force is 7-4 overall and 0-1 in WAC play. The Falcons lost at New Mexico last Saturday in their conference opener.
      UNLV enters at 7-5. For the first time this season at home, the Rebels' lineup will include senior center Keon Clark, back from his NCAA suspension.
      "They have a lot going for them," Reese said. "I can't speak for their attitude, but I hope they're overlooking us."
      Overlooking Reese might not be wise.
      In 11 games, the senior shooting guard has solidified his position as one of the finest players ever to compete at Air Force, averaging 22.5 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. He scored 22 points in the Falcons' most recent outing, a 59-51 victory at Wofford on Wednesday.
      Reese's point production placed him third in the conference entering this week, and his 3-point shooting percentage (56 percent) is tops in the WAC. He sits eighth in Air Force history with 1,444 points.
      "Jarmica has already made his mark at this school," Air Force coach Reggie Minton said. "When you talk about being in the top 10 in scoring, no matter where you are that's a major accomplishment. But there's a lot more to Jarmica than statistics. He's been a true pleasure to coach from the moment he got here."
      Reese said attending Air Force was a challenge during his freshman year, but he says he has grown used to the rigid military lifestyle.
      "The hardest part was my first year, adjusting to having almost all of my time accounted for," said Reese, who majors in business management and is due to graduate in May. "The structure, getting up early every day, was hard at first."
      Reese's schedule is a day-long grind. He awakens at 6:30 a.m. and typically attends class until 2 p.m. Basketball practice normally begins at 3 p.m., and afterward he spends a few hours studying.
      Though it costs him hours of sleep, Reese rewards himself with personal time only after his work day is complete.
      "I don't get to bed until around 1 a.m., usually," he said. "I make time for myself, even if it's just watching television. I unwind, except on game days. Then I make sure to get some rest."
      Tonight's game marks Reese's third against a school he once dreamed of playing for. Air Force was swept by UNLV last year as Reese battled one of his best friends and a former high school teammate, the Rebels' Damian Smith, who has since completed his eligibility.
      "It's going to be a lot easier now, for a couple of reasons," said Reese, who scored 18 points in each game against UNLV. "I'm not too affected by coming back (to Las Vegas) because I've played in the Thomas & Mack last year, and without Damian around it'll be easier.
      "I'm not one of those guys who plays well against his friends, and Damian is one of my best friends. We still keep in touch, and I'll talk to him while I'm here."
      Reese said Air Force's overall performance has been only so-so. The Falcons picked up a home victory over service academy rival Navy (64-63 on Nov. 30), and their 7-4 start is the best since 1988-89, when they shot out to an 8-3 start. Their seven victories matches their season total from last season, and their scoring average of 79.3 would be the highest in school history if the season ended today.
      But Air Force, typically a formidable home team, was dumped 84-81 by visiting San Diego State, at 6-6 a team the Falcons felt they should've handled at Clune Arena.
      "That was tough, but we learned a lot," Reese said. "They had us down by 22 points with about 15 minutes to go, and we fought back. We learned you can't get down by that much to any team, and we learned not to panic."
      Such talk would befit a head coach, and it's not a surprise that Reese has already made his first step toward becoming a sideline teacher. He'll be a student assistant for the Air Force's preparatory team next season.
      "I think it'll be fun. I'll try to remember what I had to learn as a player and teach the mental part of the game as well as the fundamentals," Reese said. "I'm a much smarter player now than I was when I was a freshman. I know where to go, when to be there and how to get there. A lot of players don't pay attention to the mental part of the game, but at Air Force, it's a must."
      Minton said he's fully confident Reese would succeed as a coach.
      "I've watched his maturation from the first time I ever visited him in his home to now, and it's amazing," Minton said. "He's an outstanding young man and a fine, fine player. Could he coach? Absolutely. He's a student of the game, and he pays attention to detail."