The basketball teams of Columbus High School and Starkville High will face each other for the first of their two final games as district opponents tonight at The Beehive.
The rivalry always had the weight of district standings and deciding playoff spots, but with Starkville”s move down to Class 5A next season the series will take a different shape and perhaps lose some of the luster from previous seasons.
However, the rivalry, based on proximity and past games, will remain intact, SHS head coach Greg Carter said Thursday.
“I don”t think it”s grown necessarily, but it”s pretty important over here,” Carter said. “When you think of Columbus over here, you always think rivalry game. That”s always an exciting game. And all those games seem to be close. A lot of times, it comes down to one or two possessions.”
Though Columbus (0-5) and Starkville (4-1) have historically had nip-tuck games — the Falcons held SHS to 39 at home last season and were put out of the 2008 district tournament 60-57 — the former enters tonight”s game with a vastly inexperienced squad.
The Falcons, who lost eight seniors from last season, have had three freshmen and a pair of sophomores play predominant roles through their first five games.
As expected, the Falcons have gone through growing pains with the likes of freshmen C.J. Scott, Brandon Porter and Rakeem Wilson sharing minutes at point guard. Adding to the learning curve is the fact all three feature at other perimeter positions putting a premium on ball-handling and decision making in space.
CHS head coach Sammy Smith knew his team would have to rebuild after losing virtually all of its scoring, rebounding and experience from last season. How he”s chosen to move the program forward isn”t typical, though.
When selecting players, Smith opted for younger players who would fulfill his goal to have a quality program on and off the court. If that means going through the season with as many as seven freshmen on the varsity roster, he”s fine with it.
In lieu of the team”s sluggish start to the season, he hopes fans understand his approach to rebuilding.
“We could have had more seniors on the team, but I”m adamant about having kids who are trying to be kids that everyone is proud of,” Smith said. “We can”t be in OSS (out-of-school suspension). We can”t be failing classes. Don”t get me wrong, winning games is still the priority but I feel we”re taking the right approach with the kids we have.”
Despite a 40-point loss to Memphis, Tenn. team Overton High on Nov. 22, Smith says there”s plenty of positives to take away from the first five games. For one, Columbus has led in the fourth quarter of three of its losses, falling to West Lowndes by a point and Central (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) by eight.
Finding a way to win close games is a trait often found in seasoned players, and Smith has lauded his young team”s progression.
“The best thing about a freshman is he”s going to be a sophomore,” Smith said. “Every time they”re on the floor, they”ve gotten better.”
Carter says he”s never played a freshman on his varsity team, citing a huge jump in competition and athleticism between ninth-grade ball and varsity play.
That doesn”t mean Columbus will be a pushover tonight, he warned.
“When you say Columbus is down, they”ll still do two things: defend and rebound,” Carter said. “They always do that. It”ll be a challenge for us to score at an efficient rate, be consistent on offense and rebound well.”
For Carter, he”s keen to see the Yellow Jackets” offense take another step in the right direction. Without the services of senior guard Jaquez Johnson — who”ll return following the Mississippi-Alabama All-Star Classic on Dec. 11 — junior Jacolby Mobley has been the primary ball-handler. Games like Starkville”s recent win over Gentry, when junior center Gavin Ware had 22 points and Mobley scored 23, strengthens Carter”s desire to have his players acclimate to having greater roles.
“We still have to learn patience on offense,” Carter said. “We still got to be a little more patient on offense and improve in some of the skill areas like passing into the post. Sometimes that takes a while. But I”d rather be progressing and getting better right now than to be on top of the mountain right now.”
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