Monday, January 30, 2012

If you've been watching the Augusta State basketball team this year, you've been front and center to see not just a young and talented squad but this generation's way of preserving their memories.

I'm talking about tattoos and the Jags have plenty of them.

You see things like Augusta State jerseys, Greek gods, names, basketball related art, area codes, religious statements and the list goes on.

No matter what the ink, they all have a story, and this Augusta State team has plenty to tell, some serious and others not as much.

Sophomore guard Roman Hill said, "Everything I got on me is definitely something I stand for, from family members to 'Respect' and 'Loyalty' down here on my arm."

Senior guard O'Neal Armstrong added, "I figured, if I'm gonna get something my mom doesn't know about, it's gotta be something with God because if not, she's gonna really snap. So I told her it was 'Faith in God' and she wasn't really tripping."

The meaning and the story may be the most misunderstood part about the tattoos. While there are some people that get them just to fit in, these Jags are serious about their art.

"You know, some people's tattoos are pointless and some people's mean something to them," sophomore forward Harold Doby said. "Like I said, mine mean something so if you can ask somebody, 'Why did you get this and what was the reason behind it?' and they can tell you, then you can be like, 'Okay. Well, that's a good idea,' but if they just say, 'I just got it just to get it,' then it's pointless."

Of course, it's not all serious when it comes to the ink, and freshman Devonte Thomas found that out pretty quickly.

Armstrong said, "He has a space ship and all that. We always jive on him about his space ship and his Mars and his Saturn on his arm, but I think it's cool. Nobody else likes it, but I think it's cool. It's different."

In the end, when it comes to tattoos, the only opinion that matters is your own.

Thomas said, "I kinda catch a lot from the team, but it's the creativity that counts so I don't care what they say. I'm happy with what I got. I'm happy."