MOULTRIE – When Colquitt County High boys basketball turned around to the point of winning almost as many games in 2016-17 as in the previous four seasons combined (24 to 22), it wasn’t done with an influx of superstars, All-Americans and future 1-and-dones right to the pros. It took role players committed to improving and unaffected by that lack of on-court success.

From Andy Harden’s senior class came two players who fit that mold, and they caught the attention of a college coach all the way from Dallas, Texas, who made them an offer they couldn’t refuse. On Friday, Tyrese King and DaNas Andrews were at the center of a scholarship signing ceremony to join Paul Quinn College in the Lone Star State beginning with the 2017-18 season.

Paul Quinn is an NAIA school in the Red River Athletic Conference.

In King, the Tigers get a player who can go from the front court to the back court, defend and score in double figures.

“As a basketball player, I start off as a leader,” said King. “Lead my teammates on and off the court and in the classroom. And try to better myself as a person and get ready for the next step. It’s always doing whatever it takes to win, whatever my teammates and coach need from me. I score when I need to. I’m not a selfish player. I like to get my teammates involved.”

When a program is only winning five to seven games a season as was the misfortunes of the Packers over the past two seasons of King’s career, thinking a college career is possible had to be a stretch. King said as a freshman and sophomore, he didn’t have any leadership in him.

“I was just a one-dimension player,” he said. “As I got older and more advanced in the game, I became more than a one-dimensional player.”

How did that happen? Well, first King said he needed to develop a work ethic, and that included getting up every morning with a mindset of grinding. Once he has teammates who looked up to him, it became important to set an example.

In going to Paul Quinn, King has his priorities set in getting his academics down and then hitting the Tigers’ court to “grind some more.” He plans to study the health care field in college with the goal of becoming a registered nurse.

“The thing I like about the Paul Quinn basketball team is they remind me of home,” said King. “It’s exactly like home. Everybody communicates with you. They have the same heart and passion I have for the game.”

Andrews was the closest thing Harden had to a “big,” so it was up to him to control the boards every game and defend the quality posts seen in the southwest Georgia area. For him, the Packer turnaround season with 22 wins, second place in Region 1-7A and reaching the GHSA ‘Sweet 16’ held special meaning.

“I grew up here, moved here in the third grade, and for me to be a part of something that hadn’t happened in a long time in Colquitt County boys basketball, it meant a lot,” said Andrews. “It was all of the players buying in, working with each other and doing the right things, everybody playing their role.

“I was pushed every day to go harder. The guys on the team knew I was a great player, but other guys on the team are great players. They worked me to make sure I got better every day. I love to play with a team like that instead of a team full of All-Stars. Everybody knows their role, guys work hard. Coach Harden makes you work hard, and everything clicks.

“Coach Harden treats us like we are one of his own. He won’t let us down, won’t let us fail. He loves us. He makes sure everything’s all right and pushes us as hard as he can.”

Even with the sub-.500 records of the past, Andrews kept his dream going of making it to college basketball. As a junior, he had “no looks” even though individually he felt he had a good season. That, he said, was a big discouraging going into his senior season.

But then, things changed when the Packers played in the Lowndes tournament prior to Christmas last year. He said coach Maurice West was there, happened to see Andrews have a strong game, and made an offer to him and King.

“We both went out to Dallas and viewed the campus, did a workout for him,” said Andrews. “He took us around the city, and everything was beautiful about Dallas. They’ve had some successful basketball teams. We’ll try to get in, see how everybody plays and start clicking with them.”

Andrews plans to study business management, something he said can lead to numerous possibilities in a career.

The possibilities are strong for future Packer basketball, and Andrews will have something to do with that … Jy Andrews, that is, who started alongside his older brother as a sophomore.

“I try to push him every day in practice, out of practice, pickup games, around the house,” said DaNas. “I try to push him to be better than me.”