The Jaguars Athletic Organization was founded in 1978 to develop a "select" traveling basketball program for 10 through 14 years' old boys in Howard County, Maryland. However, since 1983 we have expanded our recruitment to include the Baltimore/Washington area youth.

The Jaguars are associated with the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) and the Youth Basketball of America (YBOA).  We have participated in local, state, regional and national tournaments in AAU and YOBA.  Our teams have won local, state and regional championships in both organizations.  In 1983 the Jaguars finished eighth in the AAU Nationals.  We finished fourth in the AAU/Junior Olympics Nationals in 1984.  The Jaguars won the YBOA National championship in 1993. Further, the Jaguars have won many Baltimore/Washington area-wide league and tournament championships.

In 1984 and 1993 AAU and YBOA, respectively, recognized our organization and awarded the Jaguars Organization regional tournaments.  Of course, this honor presented a tremendous responsibility, socially and economically for the Jaguars and the State of Maryland.  The Jaguars met the challenge.

Additionally, many of the Jaguars have been awarded scholarships to Division I Schools:  Duke, UNLV, Pittsburgh, Georgetown, Miami (Florida), Detroit, Air Force Academy, Virginia, South Carolina State, George Washington, Coppin State, Naval Academy, West Point, Penn State, Providence, Connecticut, Delaware, James Madison, Lehigh, Worcester PolyTechic Institute, Valparaiso, and Princeton.  We celebrate with pride that two of our former players played on UNLV and Duke NCAA National Championship teams.  More important, the Jaguars are proud to announce that most athletes who have passed through our program have graduated from an institute of higher learning.

The year 2008 will mark our Sixteenth Annual Tournament.  The tournament attracts many outstanding high school basketball players:  Danny Whye, Carl Jackson, Keith Bogans, Jason Capel, Nate James, Joe Forte, Jamaal Gilchrist, Lafonte Johnson, Antxon Iturbe, Mohamed Diakite, Marvin Lewis, Levi Watkins, Drew Hall, Tony Bethel, Carmello Athony, Keith Jennifer, Christopher Stephenson, Chris McCray, Linas Kleiza, Sean Ivey, Aris Williams, Marcus Ginyard, Roy Hibbert, DuJuan Summers and Malcolm Delaney, Dontae Green et al.  Over 100 teams ages 10 through 19 are invited to participate.  Invitations have been extended to youth organizations in Maryland, The District of Columbia, Virginia, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Ohio, West Virginia, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Canada (two teams from Canada participated in 1993).

Harold Payne, Founder/Director of the Jaguars, is an accomplished coach and director.  Coach Payne is a member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).  Also, he is a former director of the Maryland State YBOA, the Potomac Valley AAU and Maryland State AAU.