Clarion Ledger Top Performers 12/10-16

Deville Smith, Callaway: Scored 23 points in a 56-46 win over Vicksburg.

Clarion Ledger Boys Super 10 - 12/18/07

1. Starkville (10-0)
2. Lanier (12-1)
3. Picayune (11-0)
4. Moss Point (11-0)
5. Wingfield (14-2)
6. Clinton (13-2)
7. Forest Hill (11-3)
8. Oxford (14-2)
9. Columbus (9-2)
10. New Hope (8-4)

Clinton lost last night to Yazoo City

Class 4A
1. Lanier
2. Picayune
3. Moss Point
4. Forest Hill
5. Oxford

'07-'08 Callaway Chargers Schedule

11/03 Madison Cental Tournament - vs Clinton, L 64 - 59
11/06 vs Bailey, W 62 - 29
11/08 @ Clinton, L 56 - 52
11/13 vs Jim Hill, W 60 - 48
11/15 vs Wingfield, L 64 - 61
11/19 vs Provine, W 64 - 60
11/20 @ Forest Hill, L 74 - 69
11/27 @ Murrah,W 80-63
11/29 Warren Central Tournament,W 70-39 Warren Central
11/30 Warren Central Tournament,W 64-60 Vicksbury
12/04 @ Canton,L
12/07 vs Warren Central,W
12/11 vs Vicksburg,W 63-53
12/14 @ Yazoo City,W 38-36
12/26 JPS Pepsi Tournament
12/27 JPS Pepsi Tournament
12/28 JPS Pepsi Tournament
01/04 vs Yazoo County
01/08 vs Ridgeland
01/11 @ Lanier
01/15 vs Canton
01/18 @ Pearl
01/22 @ Vicksburg
01/25 vs Yazoo City
01/29 @ Yazoo County
02/01 @ Ridgeland
02/05 vs Lanier
02/08 vs Pearl
02/12-15 Division Tournament - Lanier HS
02/18-23 North/South
02/28-03/15 State Tournament

Callaway vs Yazoo City

A perfect night for an upset! Yazoo City is not the type of team that you like to play with a young group. (As I type this I just got a text message saying that Yazoo City beat CL Super 10 #6 Clinton last night.) They sit back in a 2-3 zone and dare you to make a 3. On offense, they are patient. Rarely do they shoot 3's, they pound the ball into their big man and he gets the job done.

We played some 3/4 court zone and backed up into a man once they crossed half court to speed up the tempo. It didn't have much of an effect during the first 3 periods but it finally paid off in the 4th. We hit a stretch where we couldn't score at all but our defense kept coming up with steals to keep them from scoring.

With the clock under a minute, we had just scored to tie the game at 36. We got into our press and they kicked it up to their big man who caught the ball on the wing and attacked the basket. Our charge taker(Phillip Ross) was standing under the basket waiting on him, he decided to pull up instead of trying his luck with senior Phillip Ross. He missed the shot and Q wrestled the ball away from Yazoo City's Jontavious Singleton and we called timeout to set up for the last shot.

We were in our basic spread offense, Q kicked the ball to the wing and cut through. Deville came up top but instead of catching the ball up top he cut to the basket where Ju hit him with a perfect pass. Deville went into his snake maneuver and hit Phillip on the baseline for a layup with 3.9 seconds left.

We have been begging Deville everyday in practice to cut to the basket sometimes instead of just catching it up top everytime. I'm glad he decided to FINALLY do it! I hope the whole team FINALLY starts to do some of the other things that we have been begging them to do!

District: 2-1
Record: 9-5
up next: JPS Tourny-Terry @ Wingfield HS

Callaway vs Vicksburg II

When we beat Vicksburg at the Warren Central Tournament, Coach Brent told our guys that the game didn't count for anything and that Vicksburg would be eager to get back on the court with us. We read the article from the Madison County Herald after they beat Canton. And sure enough, their coach said that they had given away their last two games by not running their offense and playing too much 1 on 1. The Callaway game was included in the games he was referring to.

Our thinking was that our pressure defense got them out of rhytm and forced them to do things that they weren't accustomed to doing. We were playing at home and we figured that we could duplicate the performance that we had the last time we played them. Jonathan Phelps is very good, he got 18 hard earned contested points(15 last game) and should be a very good player at the college level. The guy can flat out score!!! But if you can contain him and limit the effectiveness of thier role players they can be beat.

We did just that and picked up our 8th win of the season. That is the win total of all of last year. Deville stepped up big for us scoring 23 points, most of them while snaking to the basket for layups. Dude is amazing!!! Ju's defense was as good as I have seen it this season. He came up with another big steal to pretty much end any chance at a comeback. Q was in foul trouble for most of the game but he rebounded well and pulled for his teammates from the bench, a trait usually reserved for bench guys. He scored 6 points, his lowest point total of the season.

It was a well coached, well played game. Got to keep it up!

District: 1-1
Record: 8-5
up next: @ Yazoo City

Clarion Ledger Top Performers - 12/3 - 12/9

LaQuinton Ross, Callaway: Scored 31 points in a 63-53 win over Warren Central.

Boys Basketball Super 10 - 12/11/07

1. Starkville (8-0)
2. Lanier (9-1)
3. Picayune (8-0)
4. Moss Point (9-0)
5. Columbus (7-1)
6. Wingfield (11-2)
7. Clinton (11-2)
8. Forest Hill (9-3)
9. New Hope (6-3)
10. Oxford (12-2)

Class-by-class rankings

Class 5A
1. Starkville
2. Columbus
3. Wingfield
4. Clinton
5. Biloxi

Class 4A
1. Lanier
2. Picayune
3. Moss Point
4. Forest Hill
5. New Hope

Class 3A
1. Humphreys County
2. Pass Christian
3. Columbia
4. Aberdeen
5. East Side

Class 2A
1. Hinds AHS
2. Baldwyn
3. Scott Central
4. Newton
5. Coahoma County

Class 1A
1. Myrtle
2. Mount Olive
3. Broad Street
4. East Webster
5. Durant

Callaway v Warren Central II

What a difference a week makes! This was definitely not the same Warren Central team we played on last week. We beat them by 30 points at their gym and they made up their minds that they were going to beat us by 30 at our gym.

They came out the gate playing inspired basketball. Their coaching staff put in a great game plan and a lot of the things that we did successfully against them a week ago did not work tonight. Our traps were always a step late and their guards were making us pay by splitting the traps and getting to the basket.

If not for our 3 point shooting we probably would have lost the game. Q was 7 for 11 behind the arc and he made the Vikings pay for sitting back in a zone. He made 5 straight 3's during the first half.

The 3rd quarter Julysses took over where Q left off. He made 4 straight 3's and Deville hit 2 straight to stretch our lead and give us a little cushion going into the 4th.

We held onto to win the game and get back above .500. We saw flashes of how good Jeverick Nelson can be. He had his best rebounding game this season with 6 boards in the first half, before being sidelined with tendinitis. We're still looking for a bench!!!

District: 0-1
Record: 7-5
up next: Vicksburg

Callaway v Canton

We told the team before this game that this should be a blow out game. It was supposed to be a game where we would jump on them early and our bench would get a chance to play and work on some stuff. It didn't happen that way!

We did take a 12-0 lead out the gate. That didnt last long, before the 1st quarter was up we were holding on to a 2 or 3 point lead. We went into the half up by a couple of points and we were looking uninspired. Coach Brent was sick and the team looked as if they were sick too.

Ju and Q had 8 turnovers a piece. Not good for two of our primary ball handlers. During the last 3 minutes we had five straight possessions where we turned the ball over. We went from being up 5 to down 5. We saw our lead and our possible Top 10 ranking going down the drain.

We were bleeding and Coach Brent was not able to stop it! As a coaching staff we let our young guys down. We are definitely looking forward to playing Canton again. They were very excited about the win, and they should be. They beat a good young team that has aspirations of doing big things this year.

District: 0-1
Record: 6-5
up next: Warren Central

Vicksburg Post - Warren Central Tournament

Vicksburg High's Maurice Williams loses the ball while attempting to score in the final minutes of Friday's 46-42 loss to Callaway in the championship game of the Warren Central Classic. (Joshua Corban * Vicksburg Post)

Callaway rules Warren Central Classic


By Ernest Bowker

[12/01/07] The Vicksburg Gators have a strong team this season. They have potent scorers, capable rebounders, and good playmakers.

They also have one very bad habit.

The Gators suffered through a woeful shooting night Friday as they rushed shots and declined to pass out of double and triple teams near the basket. It was the same pattern they fell into in their only loss of the season to Forest Hill 11 days earlier, and it ended up resulting in their second defeat.

Laquinton Ross hit a pair of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and scored 10 of his 18 points in the second half, and Callaway overcame Vicksburg with a late run to claim a 46-42 win in the boys championship game of the Warren Central Classic.

"We've got to learn to take care of the ball," said Vicksburg's Maurice Williams, who had 12 points and six rebounds. "If we can do that we should go pretty far."

Deville Smith added 20 points for Callaway (6-0), while Jonathan Phelps scored 14 for Vicksburg (8-2).


The Gators led 15-11 after one quarter, but went just 3-for-16 from the field over the next 14 minutes. For the game, VHS shot 34 percent from the field and went 9-for-19 from the foul line. The poor shooting kept them from extending the lead and set the stage for Callaway's decisive run in the final minutes.

"I thought Callaway's defense had a lot to do with that. But we didn't execute," Vicksburg coach Dellie C. Robinson said. "We settled for long jump shots when we should've been more patient with the basketball."

Vicksburg pulled its act together near the end of the third quarter and used a quick 6-2 spurt to take a 30-28 lead into the final period. Ross got hot, though, hitting two 3-pointers to help the Chargers tie the game at 36 with 3:19 to play.

Vicksburg then went cold again while Callaway got hot. Callaway finished the game with a 10-4 run. Smith scored four points, and Julysses Nobles had the go-ahead basket on a steal and layup. Vicksburg's final points came on an uncontested layup with 2 seconds to play. Callaway allowed the Gators to go the length of the floor, trading the final seconds for a meaningless basket.



"We had some opportunities with the lead to do some things and we didn't execute well," Robinson said.

While Callaway took home the tournament trophy, its coach wasn't celebrating just yet. This was merely the first of four possible meetings this season between the Division 3-4A rivals. Round two is Dec. 11 at Callaway, and they'll play again Jan. 22 at Vicksburg. They could also face each other in the division tournament in February.

"Like I told the guys, don't get fooled by that trophy because this is a game that we won that doesn't count," Callaway coach Wayne Brent said. "I think it hurts us because it doesn't do us any good. We could lose the next two and nobody remembers we won that tournament at Warren Central."

Callaway vs Vicksburg

This was a game that we needed just to see how good we had gotten. We had had a couple of big victories since our last loss and we wanted to see how we would respond to the Gators. We played poorly the first half the night before and I think they took us for granted.

Jonathan Phelps came out the box looking to do damage. He may have scored about 10 pts straight. We had our best defender on him and he had made him look really bad, the crowd was into the game and they were uuuhing and aaaahiing at his every move.

We countered with Montrell, a junior that we use for defensive purposes. He came in the game and chased and bumped Phelps until he got tired. Then we came back with Jason and he continued his pursuit of the crafty Phelps.

About midway through the 2nd quarter we saw a crack in the armour of the Gators when Phelps got tired. But when Phelps does get tired, the other players on the court start to take their games to a higher level. They ARE not a one man show. They got role players that play their roles well. And they kept the Gators in the game when Phelps was not scoring. I think the half time score was 21-21. Alot of D was being played.

We started the 3rd quarter very well, Phelps still couldn't find a rhytmn and our shots started to fall. Q got into early foul trouble and had to sit for from the half way point of the 3rd until about 5 minutes of the 4th.

Ju took two big charges and got a steal late in the game to pretty much seal the win.

"Deville did what Deville Do," and that was score and point pressure on the D. Q came down and shot a big three in transition. Then came back and hit another 3 from the top of the key. One of his biggest shots of the night came off of a curl when he stepped in the paint and knocked down a big mid range jumper.

The young Chargers are maturing! As a coaching staff we are starting to raise our expectations. We are talking NOW instead of NEXT year!

Record: 6-4
next up: @ Canton

Callaway vs Warren Central

As a coaching staff we came into this game thinking that we would win. We wanted to work on some things and give our second team guys a chance to play. We had been having second and third team guys to step up and we wanted to see how they would respond outside of practice.

The varsity came out with another plan, they wanted to see how poor they could play. They didn't pay any attention to any of the instructions that Coach Brent had given them in pre-game talks. We played a poor first half, the half-time score was 21-20 on a Deville Smith 3 pointer at the buzzer. One of the only bright spots in an otherwise poorly plyed first half.

The fans from Vicksburg stayed after their game to watch us play, all of their fans left after half time because of how bad we were playing. It was good that they left because they didn't get a chance to see how fired up we came out for the 3rd quarter.

We had our best second half of the season. We scored 48 points in the second half, and turned a sloppy 1st half into a blowout by beating the Vikings 70-39. We had a chance to play our bench and they really enjoyed themselves. It was rewarding because a couple of the seniors that would normally not play got a chance to score and have some fun.

Record: 5-4
next up: Vicksburg

Callaway vs Murrah

I'm late writing this entry. We have played 3 games since I last made an entry. So I'm trying to write this like I was feeling right after the game and it isn't possible because we have won 3 in a row and we are not the same team today that we were then.

So if it seems that I'm bragging, I'm Not! We are just getting better, and it's hard to talk about it without seeming like I'm bragging!

Our defensive intensity is way up and our effort is great. Murrah put up a fight but we were a little to much for them. Dondrecus and Gary Love played well, but they don't always play together. I beleive they could be a much better team if those two played together. They both want to score and they are relentless in their pursuit to shoot the ball. And they can both shoot it!

We are slowly seeing our team get better. The bench is developing at a much slower pace than the starters but they are improving. This win got us to .500 at 4-4. It was a big win for our young team in front of a hostile crowd. The game was sold out before 6 oclock and most of the Callaway fans were left outside. Our fan base is picking up, so Charger fans get to the game early, the Lady Chargers are worth watching!

Julysses shot the ball as well as I've ever seen him shoot it. His first shot was so deep that Coach Brent was getting up to get on him about his shot selection but it went in, and so did the next one and the next one. He got a dunk and about 7 assists to dominate the game.

Q and Deville are getting better and Jeverick gave us a hint of how good he could be. Deville could be a post season dandy dozen at the rate he is going. When his jumper is falling he is as good as there as playing ball in MHSSA.

We work hard and we expect the best, we are gearing up for district. Win at home and try to steal some on the road, that is our goal.

Record: 4-4
next up: Warren Central

Callaway vs Forest Hill

Coming off the win against Provine we were trying to not come out flat. We had a couple of players that did, but as a team we didnt. Forest Hill IS THE REAL DEAL and they showed it by not missing a ft down the stretch. They were poised against our press and punished us with layups after they broke us down. Josh for Forest Hill is very athletic and a great player, it puzzles me how this kid is not a dandy dozen!

I'm very proud of our team and the way we performed. We defended one of the best teams in the state about as good as they can be defended, we rebounded well and we played with poise and kept our heads in the game. The bench played well and Coach Brent did a masterful job of never letting us get out of the game.

It was a loss but it was a loss that you can live with because you know you got better. Forest Hill is a very good team and a great measuring stick for how well your team is playing. We learned alot tonight and we grew as individuals and as a team. I think it's time that people take notice, this is not the same Callaway team that they are used to beating up on. We will be better and we will win!

Record: 3-4
up next: @ Murrah

Callaway Vs Provine

Brent Vs Riley 3

We had some hard practices leading up to this game. The first team spent most of those practices on D. Coach Brent informed them that they would probably never practice on O again until they started defending and rebounding the way he wanted them to.

They stepped up to the challenge and started getting after each other. We had some 2nd team players to also step this week, this is something that we have begging them to do since the first day of practice. It saw Jonathan Jenkins getting the starting nod over some of the usual starters. The gym was packed, the ball was thrown up and Brent Riley 3 was under way.

The game was the usual slug fest that Brent Riley matches are. Both teams pretty much taking each others best shot and playing like their lives depended on winning. Dandy dozen sf Scotty Haralson was held to a quiet 15 pts by a trio of defenders, all stepping up to the plate to limit his touches and contest his every shot. Its really been good to see these guys start to step up and get stops and rebound the ball. It was by far our best defensive and rebounding game of this short season.

We still have ballhandling issues that need to be addressed but our intensity was way up for this game, hopefully we can keep this type of energy every night. Jeverick Nelson had one of his best performances with a 8 pt 9 rebound outing. Montrell Tims, Jason Gibson and Jonathan Jenkins all defended Scotty Haralson relentlessly.

It was a big win for the school, you could tell by the excitement of the kids on the team, the fans and the administration. Before we could get in the dressing and enjoy the victory Coach Brent was already talking about Forest Hill. What they were going to do and what we needed to do to beat them.

Record: 3-3
up next: @ Forest Hill

Callaway vs Wingfield

Coaches always stress the importance of winning home games. We were 2 - 0 at home going into our game with 7th ranked city rival Wingfield. We started out good but we weren't able to hold on to the lead for long and found ourselves fighting from behind.

We worked this week on limiting the touches of their best scorer. He hit his first three and didn't get many good looks after that. Jason Gibson did a great job of shadowing him throughout the contest. We didn't do a good job of keeping the point guard out of the paint. He punished us by getting into the paint and setting up his baseline guys with layups. And when we did play great defense we often let them off the hook by allowing them to get the offensive rebound and score.

With all of our problems on D, we still had a chance to tie the game with a 3 with 3 or 4 seconds on the clock. We missed, had to foul, they made 1 ft, missed the second. We came down hit a 3 with time running out and lost by 1. It was our 3rd loss of the season and our first loss at home. It was also the first time that I saw some concern on the faces of the players after the game. I think this one hurt a little bit, they maybe seeing the significance of biting back.

Record: 2-3
up next: Provine

Callaway Vs Jim Hill

It was our second home game and boy was it needed. Had we played anywhere else I'm sure we would have lost! We played about as bad as a team can play. And Jim Hill played about the same way! Q missed about every shot he took and so did Ju. Jason played very well tonight, he had around 6 steals and about 8 or 9 points. He had two very good practices leading into the game and it showed on the court tonight.

We know that we have a young team and it takes time for them to mature, but that doesn't mean that we can't win now. We have really been putting emphasis on making the second team better. If we can pick up the play of the second team during practice it should lead to better productivity during games. Because right now our second team isn't giving us anything.

We got Wingfield on Thursday and we know that we are going to need a performance better than the one we had tonight if we plan on winning. We are taking one game at a time and putting our emphasis on winning that game. Our players need to buy into what we are doing and make it happen!

Record: 2-2
up next: Wingfield

Callaway vs Clinton II

I'm glad to have played them for the last time. Clinton is one of those teams that if we played them 10 times, we might lose all ten. They are like the perfect team to beat us. Their strengths match up with all of our weaknesses. A recipe for disaster.

We played them tough all the way down the stretch, Q shot a 3 with 3 or 4 seconds that would have tied the game but he missed. Ju played in his first game, totally shutting down Clinton's guards. Officiating was terrible and we were still in the game. It's funny how the officials look towards our bench after a call, as if they are waiting on us to argue. Hey REFS, we don't talk to y'all!

Overall it was a better game for us, we defended better, we rebounded better and Q gave us a glimpse into his potential by scoring a very quiet 27! We are a very young team and we will keep grinding until we get to where we are trying to go.

Record: 1-2
up next: Jim Hill

Callaway vs Bailey

Our 2nd game of the season was against one of the weaker teams in the city. Coach Speech who is a Callaway graduate, does a great job with his kids but he just doesn't get as much talent as the other city schools.

Bailey came out playing hard and tried to make the game as ugly as possible. We beat them 62 - 29 in front of a packed house. Hopefully home game will be like it was on Tuesday. The atmosphere made me remember what I missed about high school basketball in the city.

Q and Montrell were the leading scorers with 19 points. Ju didn't play he was still recovering from his ankle injury that he sprained in practice. And Deville Smith played the worst game that I have probably ever seen anyone play. We need the team to bounce back and get ready for the Clinton game.

Thursday night we'll see how much we've improved!

Record: 1-1
up next: @ Clinton

Callaway Chargers 9th Grade Schedule

11/14 vs Wingfield
11/17 @ Provine
12/01 vs Jim Hill
12/05 @ Forest Hill
01/09 vs Murrah
01/12 @ Lanier
01/16 @ Bailey
01/19 9th Grade Tournament
01/23 9th Grade Tournament
01/26 9th Grade Championship

'07 - '08 Callaway Chargers Schedule

11/03 Madison Cental Tournament - vs Clinton, L 64 - 59
11/06 vs Bailey, W 62 - 29
11/08 @ Clinton, L 56 - 52
11/13 vs Jim Hill, W 60 - 48
11/15 vs Wingfield, L 64 - 61
11/19 vs Provine, W 64 - 60
11/20 @ Forest Hill, L 74 - 69
11/27 @ Murrah
11/29 Warren Central Tournament
11/30 Warren Central Tournament
12/01 Warren Central Tournament
12/04 @ Canton
12/07 vs Warren Central
12/11 vs Vicksburg
12/14 @ Yazoo City
12/26 JPS Pepsi Tournament
12/27 JPS Pepsi Tournament
12/28 JPS Pepsi Tournament
01/04 vs Yazoo County
01/08 vs Ridgeland
01/11 @ Lanier
01/15 vs Canton
01/18 @ Pearl
01/22 @ Vicksburg
01/25 vs Yazoo City
01/29 @ Yazoo County
02/01 @ Ridgeland
02/05 vs Lanier
02/08 vs Pearl
02/12-15 Division Tournament - Lanier HS
02/18-23 North/South
02/28-03/15 State Tournament

Callaway vs Clinton

The '07-'08 Chargers opened up with a 64 - 59 loss to Clinton HS(Clinton,MS). Even though we lost, our fans and opponents got a chance to see the potential of these young Chargers. We started 2 freshmen, a sophomore, a junior and a senior. Montrell Tims, a junior, was the only starter with any game experience. The other guys were either in middle school last year or bench players who didn't play any real minutes.

LaQuinton Ross(Q), the #1 freshmen in the class of 2011 started off with a bang, scoring 9 quick points before being sidelined with his second foul. His AAU teammate and fellow freshmen, Deville Smith picked up where Q left off. Deville wowed the fans by scoring 28 points. Julysses Nobles, a junior and our most seasoned player, was sidelined with an ankle injury and should be available by the 3rd or 4th game.

We had some ball handling issues against their press that will be corrected by getting Julysses(Ju) back on the court and some scoring problems that will be corrected by keeping Q on the court and out of foul trouble.

I have to say that it was fun being on the sideline again. I told Coach Brent during the game that maybe I had gotten to old for this, I had major butterflies before the game and I can't tell you how many times my heart stopped during the game. Coach Brent reminded me of how young we were as a team and this is how it was going to be until we matured. But, I enjoyed it and I am ready for game 2.

We will play Bailey HS(Jackson,MS) Tuesday night at home. It should be a victory, one that is needed to give these young Chargers a taste of what it feels like to win. We got Clinton again on Thursday at Clinton so we need some momentum going into that game!

Record: 0 - 1

up next: Bailey

Mississippi '07 - '08 Dandy Dozen

These names are in alphabetical order and do not represent the actual player rankings!

Kenneth Barlow, Sr/G/6'4, Scott Central
Chris Dees, Sr/F/6'5, Picayune
Justin Gillard, Sr/G/6'2, Oxford
Scottie Haralson, Sr/G/6'4, Provine
Rashanti Harris, Sr/C/6'9, New Hope
Dale Hughes, Sr/G/6'2, New Hope
Terrell Kennedy, Sr/F/6'5, Forest Hill
Romero Osby, Sr/F/6'8, NE Lauderdale
Jonathan Phelps, Sr/G/6'1, Vicksburg
Travis Rascoe, Sr/G/6'4, Moss Point
Shaunessy Smith, Jr/G/6'6, Noxubee County
Latavious Williams, Sr/F/6'8, Starkville

In my opinion, this list does not contain the best players in MS. I could be biased because I coach at Callaway HS and our team has a couple of players that are just as good if not better than at least 3 of the names listed here. Time will tell and we can come back at the end of the season and see who does what.

This list was arranged by the staff writers at the Clarion Ledger

Mississippi '07-'08 Preseason Boys Super 10

1. New Hope
2. Provine
3. Forest Hill
4. Oxford
5. Starkville
6. Lanier
7. Wingfield
8. Picayune
9. Vicksburg
10. Moss Point

Class-by-class rankings

MHSSA Class 5A
1. Provine
2. Starkville
3. Wingfield
4. Murrah
5. Madison Central

MHSSA Class 4A
1. New Hope
2. Forest Hill
3. Oxford
4. Lanier
5. Picayune

MHSSA Class 3A
1. Humphreys County
2. Pass Christian
3. Columbia
4. Aberdeen
5. Cleveland East Side

MHSSA Class 2A
1. Forest
2. Hinds AHS
3. Scott Central
4. Newton
5. Hollandale Simmons

MHSSA Class 1A
1. Myrtle
2. Shelby Broad Street
3. Okolona
4. Potts Camp
5. Mount Olive

MPSA AAA
1. Jackson Academy
2. MRA
3. Jackson Prep
4. Hillcrest Christian
5. Pillow

MPSA AA
1. Brookhaven Academy
2. Marshall Academy
3. Leake
4. Trinity
5. Inianola

MPSA A
1. Delta
2. Riverdale, LA
3. Huntington, LA
4. CM&I
5. West Memphis, Ark

This list was comprised by the staff writers at the Clarion Ledger

LaQuinton Ross ~AKA ~ Q

I first met this kid as an 11 year old. He was rebounding for Daryl Arnold. I remember letting the goal down to 8 1/2 ft so he could attempt to dunk. He was long and skinny and about 6'2 or 6'3. We all hoped that he would get taller. And get taller he did, he is now 15 and almost 6'8.

His trainer was Omhar Carter, Omhar would always tell us, "that Q wasn't working out, he was training!" That training consisted of hours of shot form, ballhandling and a bunch of drills that consisted of hopping and skipping through chairs. It would be 4 yrs later before I would see the results of the work that Q and Coach Carter were putting in.

I've seen the off court maturation of this kid, now I am getting to see the on court maturation. All of those things that he has worked on off the court is being applied to game situations. He has been humbled but he is not defeated, every night on the court is a lesson for him, and I think he is learning alot at a very fast pace. His top game has been a 27 point performance against Clinton but his best game was probably a 14 point 10 rebound performance against Provine.

This kid has a load of potential and I think he has the work ethic to make it all happen. Q is learning how to score, he's learning how to defend and he's learning how to play the game. And he's only a 9th grader!

The future looks great !!!

Renardo Sidney ~AKA~ The Difference

Rarely does a kid come along with size, athleticism and skill. Renardo Sidney is one of the rare exceptions. He's big enough to dominate on the block, skilled enough to handle the ball in the open court against smaller defenders and he possesses the touch to pull-up and shoot the NBA three with ease.

I jumped at a chance to coach this young phenom when he was a rising freshman by accepting a coaching position on the staff of the MBA Magic Elite. A Select Summer team started by Renardo Sidney Sr. We got off to a great start by making the final four in the first two tournaments that we entered. Our next stop was the prestigous Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions, Renardo's first game in the Dean Dome resulted in a 21pt, 13rebound, 11assist performance. Mr Gibbons was courtside to take in the action, there were also representatives from every major scouting service and shoe company. The word got out quickly and Renardo went from being a virtually unknown 8th grader to the #1 player in the class of 2009.

His newfound sucess quickly came to an end when the MHSAA forced him to sit out his freshman year at Piney Woods Country Life School because of eligibility issues. To avoid any surprises for his sophomore year, Renardo Sr moved his family to Lakewood, CA where Renardo Jr played for the defending state champs, Lakewood Artesia. He helped his team secure back to back championships and earned the newcomer of the year award in doing so. Renardo is anticipating his junior season being just as rewarding, however, it will be at LA powerhouse, Fairfax, instead of Lakewood Artesia.

He has been working extra hard the last few weeks to prepare himself for the Elite 24 game at the Rucker. This game will be held August 24, tipoff is at 7pm. He is looking to put the exclamation point on his #1 ranking in the class of '09.

Young Big Man Shoots Like A Little Guy
This article was written by Stephen Danley, and published in the NY Times.