Sometimes the connection is immediate.
There also are times it takes student-athletes multiple visits to find the right fit for the next step in their academic athletic lives.
RJ DeLoach didn’t need any extra time.
As soon as the Columbus High School senior visited the Holmes Community College campus in Goodman he knew that was where he wanted to go to school.
“I like the atmosphere,” DeLoach said. “I just feel it is the best place for me to grow as a player and as a man.”
DeLoach made it official Friday morning when he signed a National Letter of Intent to play basketball at Holmes C.C.
DeLoach will join Columbus High teammate Aaron Johnson at Holmes C.C. On Friday, he joined Casey Smith (Jones County Junior College) and Denijay Harris (Southwest Mississippi C.C.) in a signing ceremony in the Columbus High gym.
Smith, Johnson, DeLoach, and Harris will join classmate Robert Woodard II, who will play basketball at Mississippi State, at the next level.
All five were key contributors in Columbus’ run to the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 6A State championship. The championship was the second in three years for Columbus, which finished 27-6 under Anthony Carlyle, who was in his first season as head coach at the school.
“They have a winning program and are used to winning,” DeLoach said. “I like to win. They like to win, so it should be fun.”
DeLoach and Johnson will report to Holmes C.C. at the end of June in an effort to help the Bulldogs win another championship. This past season, Holmes C.C. (24-5) won the Region 23 championship and was the District XV representative at the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas. Holmes C.C. lost in the first round in its second appearance in the event in four seasons. In 2015, Holmes C.C. advanced to the Elite Eight.
DeLoach averaged 4.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.9 steals per game. He paced the Falcons with 100 assists, which was one more than Smith.
DeLoach had a season-high 10 points vs. Dobyns-Bennett in a 61-43 victory on Dec. 28, 2017. He had five or more assists eight times, including five in the team’s victory against Starkville High in the semifinals of the state tournament.
DeLoach also had a season-high six steals in a 55-32 victory against Oxford on Jan. 19.
Carlyle said championship players need players like DeLoach and Johnson who play vital roles despite not scoring a lot of points. He said DeLoach and Johnson played key roles in multiple areas — rebounding, ballhandling, defense, assists — to help the Falcons make all of the new pieces work so well together.
As a sophomore at Columbus Christian Academy in Steens, DeLoach averaged a team-high 16 points per game in CCA’s first Mississippi Association of Independent Schools boys basketball state championship. His efforts helped him earn a spot on the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools’ Class AA All-State team. DeLoach was named the classification’s MVP.
DeLoach showed in December he was willing to play whatever role Columbus needed in a 64-37 victory against New Hope in the 21st-annual Joe Horne Christmas Classic at Columbus High.
DeLoach had nine points in a balanced effort that offered a glimpse of how Columbus was going to make everything work.
“The hardest part is not to try to do too much,” DeLoach said after the game. His performance was even more special because he was coming off a bout of the flu. “You have to play your role, stay within the game, and let the game come to you, especially in a rival game.”
Looking back, DeLoach said Carlyle made it easier for the Falcons by defining their roles and pushing the players to realize their goal of winning a state title.
DeLoach said he beat Johnson in committing to Holmes by a several hours or maybe even a day. He said his ability to play hard, to play defense, and to rebound helped him attract attention and to realize his goal of playing basketball in college.
“I am going to give it all I got when I am out there,” DeLoach said. “Coming over here really put me out there. I competed at a higher level and showed I could play, so I think coming over here was a great move.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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