STARKVILLE — A recent labor dispute between NBA players and owners forced the league to settle for a compressed schedule that requires some teams to play five games in one week.
That kind of workload doesn’t faze the East Oktibbeha County High School boys basketball team.
In an attempt to prepare for the new year, the Titans played six games in five days last week. East Oktibbeha played once at home, twice in the McAdams High tournament, and three times at Starkville High’s Travis Outlaw Slam Dunk at the Hump tournament at Mississippi State.
At MSU, the Titans turned heads despite going 1-2. As the smallest school in the 11-team field, East Oktibbeha competed hard and was led by senior Chris Harris, who averaged 18 points per game in the tournament.
For his strong play, Harris is The Dispatch’s Prep Player of the Week.
“Basketball is my love,” Harris said. “That love was really tested this week. It’s hard to play as many games as we have. Everybody is tired. But we are keeping our heads up and working hard.”
Harris credits his time management skills for allowing him to handle such a demanding schedule. The busy basketball slate follows his time as a football player for the Titans.
“You got to stay in the books,” Harris said. “If you don’t have your grades, you don’t have anything. I treat school just like sports. Each assignment is like a play in a football or basketball game. You have to stay active. You have to stay involved.
“You really have to work at being a good student if you want to be successful in life.”
That work ethic has made Harris a leader on the field, on the court and in the classroom.
“We have several great seniors who lead by example,” East Oktibbeha coach Barnett Robinson said. “Chris brings that type of leadership to our team. You know he is going to play hard and do whatever he can to make his team better. His attitude is great, and he always works hard to be better in everything he does.”
Harris said his mother, Tricia Tate, helped instill that work ethic in him. He said his mother has been his biggest influence and is always there to give advice on whatever may come up.
“I have played basketball since sixth grade,” Harris said. “The sport has always been one of my favorites. My mother has always been real supportive. She has helped me in every way she can.”
East Oktibbeha will gear up for a stretch run that begins tonight with a girls-boys doubleheader at West Lowndes. Harris and Robinson believe a tough schedule should allow the team to be a force to be reckoned in Class 1A.
“We have a lot of fun (as a team), but we aren’t mentally tough enough yet,” Harris said. “We are a physical team but we are not totally in shape. If we could get in basketball shape, we could be a pretty good team by the end of the year.
“We try to come out and play hard every game. Sometimes if things don’t go our way, we get frustrated. We have to get better at that. We have to work a little harder to be a better team in the second half of the season.”
The Titans took several valuable lessons from the inaugural three-day tournament at MSU. East Oktibbeha defeated Kosciusko in overtime before falling to New Hope and Louisville.
“Playing in the Hump was a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Harris said. “It is a long floor, so you have to have great strides and can’t get winded. However, the overall experience was great. It was a lot of fun. We will always remember playing there.”
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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