Luther Riley is used to big-time basketball.
In guiding the Jackson Provine High School boys basketball team to four state titles and a Grand Slam championship, Riley received more than his share of invitations to attend some of the best events in the state and the region.
Now, in his first year as Columbus High boys basketball coach, Riley has a chance to be on the other end and offer those invitations to some of the nation’s top teams to the 19th-annual Joe Horne Christmas Invitational.
Named after Horne, a longtime supporter of Columbus High basketball and CHS athletics, the tournament grew thanks to the hard work of former Columbus High boys basketball coach Sammy Smith and blossomed into one of the region’s top attractions.
This year’s two-day tournament kicks off at 1 p.m. today with a girls game between Jim Hill and Holly Springs. It will feature five more games today and six games Saturday at the main Columbus High gym. The Columbus High girls and boys, the New Hope High girls and boys, and the Starkville girls also will represent the area.
Riley, who took over the program from Smith in May, said he “probably wanted to have a few more teams,” but he said the timing of his arrival made it more challenging to lock up the best teams in Mississippi and in the region.
But Riley is excited about his first foray into the Joe Horne experience. His Falcons will wrap up the first day with a game against Horn Lake at 8:30 p.m. Columbus will play host to New Hope at 8:30 p.m. Saturday in the tournament finale.
“We want this thing to be a big deal, and it has been,” Riley said. “I had a lot of people tell me had they known sooner about the Joe Horne tournament, they probably would have been a part of the tournament. I probably had 10-15 text messages and calls saying make sure you put me down for next year, both days, and things like that.
“A lot of the top teams across the Southeast want to be a part of this because they know we are trying to pick up where coach Smith left off and have a good tournament with quality competition for boys and girls.”
This year, Riley said the games will be live streamed on jockjive.com, an online sports site that has produced events for the Southwestern Athletic Conference and the National Junior College Athletic Association and others. Riley spent three seasons as men’s basketball coach at Alcorn State, a SWAC school in Lorman.
Riley expects the Falcons’ Nest to be packed thanks to the support of the Columbus High administration, the Columbus Convention and Visitors Bureau, the area hotels and restaurants, the tournament sponsors, and school and community leaders.
Riley said he hopes to use his connections and relationships in the Jackson area to bring some of the state’s top teams to future Joe Horne tournaments. He also said he hopes there will be more teams involved so the tournament can have both gyms going all day.
Columbus, which was ranked No. 1 in the state earlier in the season, is coming off an 80-61 loss to reigning Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 6A state champion Starkville and a victory against Aberdeen. He said the Falcons (7-2) have learned valuable lessons from their first loss to a team from the state of Mississippi. He said his players have worked hard and are eager to get back on track.
“As I expressed to our guys, our goal is to win a championship, and no championship is won in early December, so learn from it and keep moving forward,” Riley said. “(Starkville is) a good team, and we have to learn how to go into a hostile environment, where the gym is sold out, and you can’t expect any calls. You have to go into those situations mentally tough enough to come out with a victory My team is learning that.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 37 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.