MANSFIELD — Kyevi Roane has been described a lot of different ways during his illustrious career Mansfield Senior basketball career, but the newest descriptor is his favorite yet: 1,000-point scorer.

Roane became just the ninth player in program history to eclipse the 1,000-point plateau in Tuesday’s 76-37 Ohio Cardinal Conference win over West Holmes inside Pete Henry Gym.

“It feels great knowing there’s a limited amount of people who have done that,” the unassuming Roane said. “Basketball has been played here for so long and for only nine guys to hit 1,000 and me being one of them, it feels good.”

A 6-foot-1 senior, Roane doesn’t jump out of the gym like former high-flyers Herman Davis, Jonathon Avery or Dwaine Lentes. Nor does he light it up from long range like Antonio Graves, Keon Johnson, Shabby Reed, the father of current Senior High sharpshooter Rashad Reed, or head coach Marquis Sykes.

In fact, Sykes has said on more than once occasion that Roane plays an “old-man’s game,” likening him to one of those crafty veterans who works over players half his age at the YMCA.

That is to say Roane knows who he is and, just as importantly, who he isn’t. 

“Kyevi understands what he does well and has come to terms with his limitations,” said Sykes, who scored 1,151 points in three sensational varsity seasons under Gregg Collins in the late-1990s. “He gets to spots on the floor where he can be successful.”

Roane needed just eight seconds to join Senior High’s exclusive 1,000-point club Tuesday. He came in with 998 points and scored the first bucket of the game off the jump ball. The contest was immediately stopped with 7:52 showing on the clock as Roane was mobbed by teammates. He was presented with a commemorative game ball and acknowledged with a standing ovation from the appreciate fans. 

“Kyevi is not just a great player, he’s a great ambassador for Mansfield Senior,” athletic director Laurie Romano said. “He’s just a great kid.”

When play resumed, Roane immediately went back to work. He outscored the Knights by himself in the first quarter as the Tygers (8-1, 5-1) blew out to a 22-9 lead after the opening eight minutes.

He went to the bench for good midway through the third quarter, finishing with a game-high 20 points on an efficient 8-of-10 shooting, He also pulled down a game-high seven rebounds and handed out four assists.

“It’s a big deal for him to be a member of the 1,000-point club,” Sykes said afterward. “We’ve had some serious basketball players come through here that didn’t make that list. We’ve got a rich tradition here, the fourth-winningest program in the state.

“There’s a long list of Division I (college) basketball players and an NBA draft pick (2000 grad Ricky Minard) in the mix that didn’t reach the 1,000-point club.”

Indeed, Roane’s game is similar to that of Minard, who wore out opposing defenses with his inside-out game, superb mid-range touch, and a superior feel of the moment and his place in it.

Roane stands at 1,018 career points with no fewer than 14 games remaining. If his season scoring average holds — he’s good for 16.1 points a game — he would cap his career with 1,244 points, good for fifth on the career scoring list behind Dapreis Owens (1,478), the aforementioned Keon Johnson (1,279), Ahmed Kent (1,278) and Sean Tucker (1,253).

An extended playoff run could see him move into second place all-time.

So what is the secret to his success?

“Just always playing hard,” Roane said. “When I’m struggling in areas, I’ll go to different areas and try to succeed in those areas. That has always been my go-to.”

As valuable as he is as a scorer, Roane’s leadership is even more important to the Tygers.

“He’s like a coach on the floor. He’s an extension of me,” Sykes said. “I’m not sure where we would be without him.

“I’m glad he’s wearing the Orange and Brown.”

The Tygers improved to 8-1 overall, 5-1 in the Ohio Cardinal Conference. Senior High will host Lima Senior on Saturday night.