Often overlooked, Javohn Garcia is never undervalued by his Cowboy teammates.

The man behind the mask can no longer hide in the shadows. He has raised his game just when McNeese needed it most.

The senior has started Southland Conference play hot, averaging 23 points over the first two games. That included a career-high 26 Monday night against Southeastern.

“When he gets going, the man is dangerous,” said Cowboy teammate DJ Richards. “He has a game as good as anybody.”

Forced to wear a mask after suffering a broken nose over the summer, Garcia elected to cover his face for the season rather than have surgery and miss games.

“I got hit by an elbow right in my nose,” said Garcia. “I would have missed three or four months had I gotten the surgery. I didn’t want to do that.”

During a workout in late June, Garcia took an elbow from former Cowboy Mike Saunders. In order to keep playing, the 6-foot-3, 183-pounder elected to wear the now-famous black mask for protection.

“He looks like a superhero with that,” said Richards.

Superhero to Cowboy fans, Garcia is becoming a villain to opponents.

“JG is a great player,” said McNeese head coach Will Wade. “He has been our most consistent player the last two years. He does a lot of things we need and does them well.

“I don’t know why he gets overlooked. He is that good.”

Garcia often takes the other team’s best scorer, handles duties at the point, and can move to the shooting guard spot. The lack of attention doesn’t bother the senior who came to McNeese before last season from the College of the Sequoias in California after two years at UMass.

“I like being under the radar,” said Garcia. “I take that to heart and try to use it as motivation.”

Garcia started to get attention at the end of last season, as the Cowboys were getting noticed, finishing 30-4. He scored 19 points in the Southland Conference title game against Nicholls, earning all-tournament honors.

Before this year, he was named to the second team of the All-SLC preseason, so people are starting to understand his value.

“It is a little bit different now in the league,” said Garcia. “It really doesn’t matter to me; I just go out and play the game I love.”

After playing with the ball early, injuries and illnesses have forced him to play on the wing more. This has helped the Cowboys win three straight and improve to 8-5 overall and 2-0 in the league.

Garcia scored 10 points in the first six minutes of the last two games, helping the Cowboys start the contests with 16-3 runs.

“I am just trying to read the defense and make the right play,” said Garcia. “I’m not looking to shoot more but want to stay aggressive, get to the basket, and react to the way the defense reacts.”

And he has always had the confidence of his teammates and coach.
“He (Garcia) is reliable and dependable,” said Wade. “You know what you are going to get from him and you can count on that every time out.”

As for that mask, well, it is just part of him now.

“It took some time, but I’m used to it,” said Garcia.

As for using it in the future, Garcia said he will get the needed surgery and put the mask away when the season is over. He would also like to return to McNeese next season thanks to the new NCAA ruling on junior college players getting an extra year.

“I plan on using that,” said Garcia. “I really like it here. This has become home.”

It will be another year for Cowboy fans to get a better look at Garcia and his game.