Jayvis Harvey was well into the second semester of his senior year of high school, and still didn’t know where he was going to college.

The combo guard out of Durham, N.C., had decommitted from Radford earlier in the school year and in February, 2019, he scheduled a pair of official visits at Colonial Athletic Association rivals James Madison and Hofstra.

On the trip to Harrisonburg he watched as JMU knocked off Delaware. A week later he was visiting Hofstra, where the Pride happened to play host to JMU. The Dukes had a losing record and Hofstra was on its way to the CAA regular season title, but that night Matt Lewis went off for JMU, putting up 40 points, seven rebounds and seven assists as JMU won in overtime.

Days later, Harvey, now preparing for his sophomore season at JMU, committed to the Dukes.

“Me and Matt talk about that all the time,” Harvey said. “That always stuck out to me. Seeing JMU go up there and beat Hofstra on senior night with a crazy crowd there, it definitely stood out to me.”

At the time, Harvey saw potential for the Dukes to do big things, and the thought of playing alongside Lewis in the backcourt helped him decide JMU was the right choice.

Harvey’s freshman year didn’t go as expected. Despite being picked to finish in the top three of the CAA in the preseason, the Dukes finished in last place.

Over the course of just a few weeks in March, JMU’s season came to an end and then-head coach Louis Rowe, who recruited Harvey, was out. The COVID-19 pandemic effectively shut down the James Madison campus and the Dukes hired Georgia Southern’s Mark Byington as its new coach.

As the spring and summer went on, six JMU players transferred out of the program and eight newcomers came aboard, leaving Harvey, listed at 6-3, 200 pounds with a 6-9 wingspan, and Lewis the only returning players in the backcourt.

“There’s a mentality with Jayvis, where he can bring aggressiveness to impact the game in different ways,” Byington said. “I think with his body and the maturity in his game he can really do well and see his production increase.”

There’s been a lot to absorb, but as the Dukes returned to campus last month for offseason workouts, Harvey was quick to feel comfortable with new teammates and coaches. Even with massive changes, many of his original reasons for choosing JMU, including the opportunity to play alongside Lewis, remain intact.

“The community here is very nice and supportive and at the time the coaching staff really loved my game,” Harvey said, of his commitment. “But it’s really just the support system that is behind the college. The new staff says similar things. They said my style of play fits their style of play really well and they can use me in different spots. I could play the one, two or three.”

After playing in 29 games and averaging 2.4 points as a freshman, Harvey has potential to see an increased workload in his second season.

“A lot of times when guys get more maturity in their game, they realize they can impact the game with offensive rebounds, or deflections toward a teammate,” Byington said. “I’ve seen that from him, really the last three or four practices. I’ve seen a light going on and he’s making plays on the court that don’t go straight into the boxscore. That’s how you win. It isn’t always going to be the points, it’s going to be other things.”