Tavon Mealy has become the prince of the paint at Virginia Union University.

Despite being vertically challenged at a more guard-like 6-foot-3, the undersized big man has a knack for ruling the painted boards in the shadow of the backboard.

“Tavon is usually going against someone at least 6-foot-6, 6-foot-7. But he finds a way to score, and he’s a tremendous rebounder,” said Coach Jay Butler, the Panthers’ firstyear coach.

“He’s a potential double-double every night.”

From Richmond’s Armstrong High School and later Richard Bland College in Petersburg, Mealy began this week as a towering figure in CIAA statistics. He was tied for second in total rebounds (8.2 per game), first in offensive boards (3.8 offensive rebounds per game), first in field goal accuracy (0.724, 42 for 58) and sixth in scoring (16.0 points per game).

“Because he’s just 6-3, we considered playing him on the wing. But he turned out to be our best post player,” said Coach Butler. “Tavon is so strong and has great footwork.” 

The Panthers, who started the week 3-3, hope for continued production from Mealy on Sunday, Dec. 6, when VUU faces Virginia State University (4-2) in the “Battle of I-95 South” at the Arthur Ashe Athletic Center on the Boulevard.

As usual, Mealy will be giving away inches.

VSU’s low-post operators include 6-foot-8 Elijah Moore (12 points, six rebounds per game) and 6-foot-9 Joe Bradshaw (7.5 points, 6.2 boards).

The muscular, 220-pound Mealy, who relies more on strength than leaping ability, has a track record of success, both individually and teamwise.

Under Coach Darryl Watts at Armstrong High, Mealy averaged 23 points and 12 rebounds as a senior, helping the Wildcats to a 24-4 record.

After Armstrong, he played two seasons at Richard Bland, helping the Statesmen to a National Junior College Division II title and a 32-4 record last winter.

As a sophomore at Bland, Mealy averaged 17.2 points and 8.3 boards, hitting 65 percent from the floor.

Later, he earned East MVP honors at the Junior College All-Star game in Las Vegas.

“We didn’t pay a lot of attention to his height when we were recruiting him,” said Coach Butler. “We knew he was a player.”

Mealy becomes VUU’s second Armstrong High recruit, joining sophomore guard Robert Valentine, who is averaging 8.2 points.

Junior guard Ray Anderson leads VUU in scoring at 19.5 points per game.

Getting plenty of backcourt minutes is 5-foot-9 freshman Ke’Andre Gibson from basketball rich Dunbar High School of Baltimore. Gibson is averaging 5.3 assists.

Dunbar has produced seven NBA players: Muggsy Bogues, Sam Cassell, Reggie Lewis, Reggie Williams, Skip Wise, Keith Booth and Terry Dozier.

VSU coach Lonnie Blow Jr. has unveiled two talented newcomers, both named Williams.

Kevin Williams, a transfer guard from Louisburg College in North Carolina., averages 12 points per game, while Walter Williams, a freshman from Henrico High School, averages 11 points per game and 4.5 rebounds while nailing 13 of 31 three-pointers (42 percent).

The 6-foot-4 Walter Williams helped Henrico High win the State 5A title last year. In the playoff game against powerful L.C. Bird High School of Chesterfield, Williams had 37 points, 14 rebounds and four steals.

The Ashe Center, which opened in 1982 with seating for 6,000, is a familiar venue for longtime VUU fans. The Panthers played many home games there during the 1980s and 1990s with such NBA-bound players as Charles Oakley, A.J. English, Terry Davis, Jamie Waller and Ben Wallace, and 1994 National Player of the Year Derrick Johnson.

“I don’t ever recall us losing a game there,” said Coach Butler, a teammate of Wallace’s in the mid-1990s.

The VUU-VSU rivalry, formerly the “Battle of U.S. Route 1,” dates to 1923, decades before I-95 was laid. Over the decades, the teams have played at such off-campus facilities as Blues Armory, Richmond Arena, Richmond Coliseum, Madison Square Garden and Barclays Center, plus various sites at the CIAA tournament.

Sunday’s game originally was set for the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., home of the NBA Nets. It was to be part of the Big Apple Classic, but a scheduling conflict resulted in the game moving to the Ashe Center in Richmond.   

The Panthers and the Trojans will meet again Jan. 17 as the main event of the Freedom Classic at the Richmond Coliseum.