By BRENT STUBBS

Chief Sports Editor

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net    

IT has been a very productive year for Michael Major Jr as the sophomore completed his season for the Bison men’s tennis team at Howard University, earning several athletic and academic awards.

While the Bison finished the season with a 6-14 win-loss record and a first round exit from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Championships last week in Cary, North Carolina, the human performance major was named the Bison men’s most valuable player, second team all-MEAC conference and MEAC all-academic honours.

“I feel extremely proud of the work that I’ve done all year,” Major Jr said. “Although my team fell a bit short in our conference, I think it was a great season for me.

“I picked up some wins playing number one for most of the season and I think I showed what I am capable of and what I still have for the future.”

Looking back at his season, the 6-foot, 2-inch Major Jr said he learned how to prioritise the sports and academics.

“I feel a lot of people do it, but they don’t do it to the extent that they should in terms of really planning out your day meticulously so you can get everything that you need to get done and more.

“There’s always a baseline of the amount of work you should do to become a good athlete or a good student, but I think when you are able to make that your baseline and add extra on top of that. 

“That is what makes you a great athlete or great student in the classroom, so that was what I tried to do this year.”

As for his performance on the court, Major Jr said he definitely impressed himself in how he was able to hold court. “I’ve been working really hard on making my game a whole, working on the patches that I found and it’s all coming together for me, especially as I get ready to come home for Davis Cup,” he said.

As one of the leaders for Team Bahamas whenever the Davis Cup tie is held, Major Jr said playing against some of the higher ranked players from the other schools and securing some notable victories should help take his game to another level when he represents the country.

There weren’t many low aspects of his game, but Major Jr said it only reinforces the need to continue to work harder to perfect everything so that he can become a more complete player in the future.

“My doubles this season could have been better, but that was about it,” said Major Jr, who will return home on Sunday before he prepares to travel for Davis Cup sometime in July.

Major Jr is the son of former softball pitcher Bernadette ‘Chips’ McPhee-Major and Michael Major Sr.