Halfway Home
By Darron Thomas
For one team the second half of the season is the only thing standing in the way of a state championship. For the remaining 27 teams it will be another season of what if and what could have been. What teams will make January a sprint to post season seedings and positioning in that quest for the ring? Will Brookhaven be hoisting the trophy for the fifth consecutive season or will it change hands? Will the north quietly enter the state tournament in Brookhaven come February and leave with a bang? We’re already at the halfway mark and some questions are easily answered but many will remain cloudy until late January.
My take on the first half of the 2008/09 basketball season is, of course, concentrated on the south and with good reason. It’s no secret that the south has been dominant with regards to AA boy’s basketball over the past 12 years and if you’re a gambler you would likely bet that the trend will continue this season as well. Had Central Private not moved up to AAA for the 2000/01 and 2001/02 seasons the Rebels, with all probability, would have won four straight AA Championships which would have negated the titles that Simpson and Marshall won during those two seasons. No disrespect towards those two fine schools but the fact remains that Central Private was flat out dominate during that span. With all this said the north could very well make a splash this season but just which squad will crash the party and make the final four at state isn’t yet clear. You know that it has to be a motivation tool for a few teams in the northern districts after the all south final four at Grenada last season. Marshall is solid every year and came up just short of defeating Brookhaven in the first round last season and Leake came a whisker of sending Bowling Green home. Whether the south has the four best teams again this season is up in the air.
As January 2nd approaches and district play begins there will be some separation between solid teams and the ones who struggle. In district 4AA Brookhaven once again will be prohibitive favorites to win another district title but the race for the second spot could be closer than usual. The Columbia Cougars having the misfortune of being in the same district as Brookhaven for so many years would have won several district titles had they been in any other district. This season they may have company in the race for that #2 spot. Simpson has opened the season with a respectable 12-5 mark and Prentiss sits at 8-1 which could lead to some great district battles. All this is hyperbole if Brookhaven trips up somewhere along the way, perhaps at Columbia on January 13th.
In district 3AA Trinity is heads above the rest and will surely be hard to beat as they progress into January and district play along with some non-district competition. The Saints in all likelihood have the fastest backcourt in AA basketball which tends to cause match up problems for lots of teams. River Oaks could be the only resistance to Trinity winning another district title and a #1 seed heading into south state at Copiah. The Mustangs have started out an impressive 8-1 but must prove they can compete with the Saints to have any hopes of making a strong post season showing. Chamberlain-Hunt seems to be a strong #3 seed in that district. Any team with a legitimate 7 footer has to be right? Riverfield, PVA, and ACCS will battle for the fourth spot.
District 5AA, in my opinion, will be a two, possibly three team race to the finish line. Bowling Green has shown to be a hard team to beat at home with wins over Parklane and Brookhaven but has struggled just a bit on the road. With Coach Jason Horne’s Centreville squad beginning to get into a flow and an improved Silliman team playing well this district could be up in the air. Oak Forest is under new direction and has improved while Central Private under Coach Rudy Smith always competes. Go ahead and circle January 9th when Bowling Green travels to Centreville and one week later on the 16th as BG travels to Silliman. There’s your race in a nutshell.
For one team the second half of the season is the only thing standing in the way of a state championship. For the remaining 27 teams it will be another season of what if and what could have been. What teams will make January a sprint to post season seedings and positioning in that quest for the ring? Will Brookhaven be hoisting the trophy for the fifth consecutive season or will it change hands? Will the north quietly enter the state tournament in Brookhaven come February and leave with a bang? We’re already at the halfway mark and some questions are easily answered but many will remain cloudy until late January.
My take on the first half of the 2008/09 basketball season is, of course, concentrated on the south and with good reason. It’s no secret that the south has been dominant with regards to AA boy’s basketball over the past 12 years and if you’re a gambler you would likely bet that the trend will continue this season as well. Had Central Private not moved up to AAA for the 2000/01 and 2001/02 seasons the Rebels, with all probability, would have won four straight AA Championships which would have negated the titles that Simpson and Marshall won during those two seasons. No disrespect towards those two fine schools but the fact remains that Central Private was flat out dominate during that span. With all this said the north could very well make a splash this season but just which squad will crash the party and make the final four at state isn’t yet clear. You know that it has to be a motivation tool for a few teams in the northern districts after the all south final four at Grenada last season. Marshall is solid every year and came up just short of defeating Brookhaven in the first round last season and Leake came a whisker of sending Bowling Green home. Whether the south has the four best teams again this season is up in the air.
As January 2nd approaches and district play begins there will be some separation between solid teams and the ones who struggle. In district 4AA Brookhaven once again will be prohibitive favorites to win another district title but the race for the second spot could be closer than usual. The Columbia Cougars having the misfortune of being in the same district as Brookhaven for so many years would have won several district titles had they been in any other district. This season they may have company in the race for that #2 spot. Simpson has opened the season with a respectable 12-5 mark and Prentiss sits at 8-1 which could lead to some great district battles. All this is hyperbole if Brookhaven trips up somewhere along the way, perhaps at Columbia on January 13th.
In district 3AA Trinity is heads above the rest and will surely be hard to beat as they progress into January and district play along with some non-district competition. The Saints in all likelihood have the fastest backcourt in AA basketball which tends to cause match up problems for lots of teams. River Oaks could be the only resistance to Trinity winning another district title and a #1 seed heading into south state at Copiah. The Mustangs have started out an impressive 8-1 but must prove they can compete with the Saints to have any hopes of making a strong post season showing. Chamberlain-Hunt seems to be a strong #3 seed in that district. Any team with a legitimate 7 footer has to be right? Riverfield, PVA, and ACCS will battle for the fourth spot.
District 5AA, in my opinion, will be a two, possibly three team race to the finish line. Bowling Green has shown to be a hard team to beat at home with wins over Parklane and Brookhaven but has struggled just a bit on the road. With Coach Jason Horne’s Centreville squad beginning to get into a flow and an improved Silliman team playing well this district could be up in the air. Oak Forest is under new direction and has improved while Central Private under Coach Rudy Smith always competes. Go ahead and circle January 9th when Bowling Green travels to Centreville and one week later on the 16th as BG travels to Silliman. There’s your race in a nutshell.
I got Brookhaven in 4AA, Trinity in 3AA, and Bowling Green by a hair in 5AA.
It’s going to be fun for me this season due in part because I don’t have a son playing anymore and the intense pressure is gone. My wife thinks I’m insane but I WILL see all 17 teams play in the month of January!
See ya…………..
