ABERDEEN — The bond with coach Jaworski Rankin wasn’t immediate for Aberdeen High School senior basketball player Marcus Carouthers.
However, once the standout player and first-year coach found common ground, the Bulldogs took flight.
“The thing that I found is he really believed in me,” Carouthers said. “It takes a special person to believe in someone. Once I found out he had my best interests at heart, it turned out for the best. Even though, we didn’t win a championship, we had a great season.”
Carouthers averaged 21.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 2.7 steals for the Bulldogs. Aberdeen (26-7) was the runner-up to Velma Jackson in the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 3A State tournament.
For his success, Carouthers, a Holmes Community College signee, is The Dispatch’s Small Schools All-Area Boys Basketball Player of the Year.
“Everyone knows Aberdeen has a winning tradition in basketball,” Carouthers said. “Our job was try to keep that going. The goal every year is to get 20 or more wins. If you don’t make Jackson, it’s a disappointing season.
“It can sometimes be intimidating as a senior. You know the expectations and you know people around town are expecting you to lead the team (to Jackson).”
Upon taking the job at Aberdeen, Rankin sat down with Carouthers and his mother. The talking points were simple. If Carouthers followed the plan laid out by the head coach, not only would the Bulldogs have success but Carouthers also would have the opportunity to play basketball on the next level.
Rankin was the third head coach in as many seasons for Carouthers and the other Aberdeen seniors.
“It took a little while to reach Marcus, and that is understandable,” Rankin said. “This is the first time someone other than Coach (Roy) Hazzle or one of his assistants was coaching the team, so all of a sudden an outsider is coming in and saying this is what we are going to do and how we are going to do it.”
Hazzle coached the Bulldogs for three decades. Cornelius Gilleylen took over after Hazzle retired, but he coached only one season. Rankin came to Aberdeen after he led Grenada to the Class 6A state championship game.
“The best thing is we had some wins early,” Carouthers said. “We won our first six games, and I think that told everybody everything was going to be OK. We were going to do some things differently, but the end result was going to be the same.”
While Carouthers was the team’s undisputed leader on offense, his ability to play defense and to rebound at a high level helped win his teammates over. The Bulldogs’ task then became finding weapons to complement Carouthers.
“Marcus is so solid. Every night he is going to have a big game,” Aberdeen junior Queshod Young said. “You could sometimes be amazed at how easily he could score points. Our job, though, was to help out and do things that complemented him. He was really our leader in some many ways. It was a lot of fun playing alongside him.”
As Rankin learned his personnel, he also learned where the pieces fit.
“We had a point guard who could see the floor,” Carouthers said. “We had shooting guards who shot the ball well. Our post guys could block shots. We played more defense than we did in the past and we were more disciplined. It took a little while to catch on, but I thought we really did a great job with that after Christmas.”
Aberdeen played a strong schedule that included Class 6A foes Tupelo and Starkville and Class 5A power New Hope. The team played at the Travis Outlaw Tournament in Starkville, the Itawamba Community College Rumble on the River, and Jackson Lanier’s MLK Classic.
Each gave Carouthers an opportunity to prove he could play on the big stage.
“Coming into the season, my job was to lead the team,” Carouthers said. “My role was to put points on the board and when my shots weren’t falling to find something else to do to help the team. I was disappointed I didn’t make the (Clarion-Ledger) Dandy Dozen, so I felt like I had something to prove every night I stepped on the court.
“It was tough, but my mind-set was the same every night. I was determined to not let the other team come out and stop me. On most nights, I saw a box-and-one or something like that, so it was hard. But I knew I had to help my team because I was our best chance at winning.”
Carouthers always thrived against tough competition. His competitive nature came from the being the fourth of four sons for Tracy Carouthers. Older brother Terrell, Derrell, and Grant helped push Marcus Carouthers to be the best he could be.
Derrell Carouthers also was a senior on this year’s team at Aberdeen. He will play with his brother at Holmes.
“The best thing about my family is they always pushed me,” Carouthers said. “There was never any settling. You had to fight and work hard for everything you got. I am proud of the support. Playing basketball on the next level is a dream come true and a huge opportunity for both of us.
“In first grade, I started playing football. Soon after that, I found a basketball. It always fun playing against my older brothers. I always wanted to be an NBA player. My brothers always helped me set goals to be the best I could be.”
On many nights, Carouthers was the best he could be. A 76-38 loss to Velma Jackson in the championship is not going to change the Carouthers’ highlight film. The loss was a case “of not having enough firepower.”
“If you look back, we had a lot of a great memories,” Carouthers said. “A 40-point night (in a playoff win against North Pontotoc) was probably my highlight. We had a lot of big wins and a lot of good times. It was great being part of this tradition. Basketball is special out here. We had a good run.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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