By Robert Wilson
Mark Alexander, who grew up in South Jackson and spent much of his coaching career in Metro Jackson, is coming back to Central Mississippi and will be coaching at a school at what Alexander says “has always been the standard in academics and athletics going way back to the early days of the MAIS.”
Alexander is leaving his position as boys basketball coach at Starkville Academy to come take the same position at Jackson Prep, a school which has won more Overall boys basketball championships (17) than any other school in the MAIS and an athletic program with high expectations. Prep has won three Overall titles in the past five seasons.
Alexander is replacing Zach Allison, who took a similar position at Mountain Brook High in Birmingham. Allison, a Birmingham native, won 73 games and the Overall Tournament championship in 2025 in his three seasons.
“Prep called and asked if I would be interested in the job, I said, of course,” Alexander said. “It was totally unexpected. That set the wheels in motion, and eventually I landed the job. It all happened kind of fast. Prep is Prep. There’s a distinction, a mark of excellence sets it apart. I’m excited about the opportunity. I think Prep is one of the top jobs in the state. I’m very fortunate, very blessed, very thankful and extremely humbled to be the new coach at Prep. There have been so many great coaches and players at Jackson Prep through the years. Prep has won a lot of games, a lot of championships, and have always done it in a classy way. It’s up to me and the players in the program to maintain that standard.”
Alexander was a three-sport letterman (football, basketball and baseball) at Forest Hill High in South Jackson and was a manager for Mississippi State and men’s basketball coach Richard Williams where he learned a lot about coaching basketball. Alexander was a sportswriter at the Clarion-Ledger newspaper in Jackson from 1994-2006 before he started his coaching career.
Alexander – who just finished his second season at Starkville Academy – has been coaching for 19 seasons, 16 in the MAIS (stops at Manchester Academy, Starkville Academy, Madison-Ridgeland Academy, Hartfield Academy, Heritage Academy and back at Starkville Academy). He has been a head high school boys coach for five seasons at Starkville and one season at Manchester. Alexander was head girls coach at Hartfield for one season and this past season at Starkville.
He was an assistant for eight seasons at MRA, the first two under girls coach Stephen Force and the last six under boys coach Richard Duease, the winningest basketball coach in Mississippi history. Alexander helped Duease win four Overall championships and five state titles and Force one Overall championship and one state title.
Another highlight of Alexander’s coaching career was when he was coaching at Starkville and ended Duease’s 77-game MAIS winning streak during the 2011-12 season.
Alexander started his coaching career with three years at Tennessee Temple Academy in Chattanooga where he was high school girls head coach for two seasons, high school boys head coach for one season and athletic director for one year.
“We are very excited to have someone with Coach Alexander’s experience and competitive drive leading our program,” Prep athletic director Will Crosby said. “Mark has an incredible knowledge of the game and has built a reputation as a coach that will always have his teams prepared. I’m confident he will create a good experience for our student athletes in the boys basketball program.”
Prep girls basketball coach Michael McAnally and Alexander have known each other since McAnally played for Prep in the 1990s and Alexander was writing for the Clarion Ledger.
“I’ve known Mark for a long time,” said McAnally, who has been at Prep for 12 seasons and has won 683 games (470 girls and 213 boys) and two Overall titles, two Overall runner-up finishes and six state titles in 25 career seasons. “I guess dating back to his first stint at Starkville and when I was at East Rankin. Mark and I played countless rounds of golf together during his time at MRA. And I would say our connection dates back to my senior year at Prep in 1996 when he wrote a game story for the Clarion Ledger following the boys Overall championship game. That article hangs on my office wall. I’m really happy for Mark. He’s a grinder. If you have ever seen a scouting report of his, you will know the thoroughness of his scouts and preparation. He will have our boys team ready to play each night. I feel Mark has not always been held in same regard as the top coaches in our association because of his stoic demeanor. He’s a pretty even keel guy on the bench and I think there are some that view animated guys as better coaches. Mark is not going to be animated but he knows what he’s doing. I look forward to working with him at Prep.”
“Mark was one of my managers while I was coaching at Mississippi State,” said former MSU men’s basketball coach Richard Williams, who coached the Bulldogs from 1986-98 and led MSU to the SEC Tournament championship and Final four appearance in 1996 and is a member of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. “He was always a hard worker and he studied basketball. I’m not surprised that he has been a successful basketball coach. He knows the game and works at it. I’m happy he is getting the Prep job. It’s a lot of pressure, but I’m sure Mark will handle it.”
“Mark is a friend of mine and a very good basketball coach,” Hartfield boys coach Chris Goodman said. “His teams are skilled, they run a very good system of sets, and they switch things up defensively to keep you on your toes the entire game. All of that stems from Mark’s coaching style. He is so good at Xs and Os and that is a challenge to prepare for. He does such a good job with his teams. In addition to him running really good sets, Mark scouts really well. His teams are always prepared for sets and tendencies of what other teams do. From his time at MRA, to Hartfield, to Heritage, to most recently Starkville Academy, Mark’s teams are all well coached and well prepared.”
Although Prep is one of the top jobs in Mississippi, Alexander will miss his team, the parents and patrons at Starkville Academy and being near Mississippi State.
“It was a tough decision because SA and the people here have been so good to me,” Alexander said. “I was excited about the new gym renovation, also. I was very involved in that. I like the young men in the program, and I feel the future is bright. We’ve had back to back winning seasons, and the junior high team was 41-4 over the past two seasons. In addition, I enjoy living in Starkville. My apartment is about a 10-minute walk from campus so that makes it convenient to attend all the Mississippi State sporting events. But, at the end of the day, I felt like there was no way I could turn down the Jackson Prep job I see it as a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
Prep had only one senior on its 19-player roster last year and Alexander will inherit nine seniors, including three full time returning starters in guard Cray Luckett, point guard Ejay Napier and forward Joseph Chaney from last year’s 21-15 team, which was the MAIS Class 4A state runner-up and reached the Overall Tournament quarterfinals. Luckett made a school record 101 3-pointers, averaged 16.2 points and made the Tatum and Wade/Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson team last season. Napier averaged 13.5 points and five assists, and Chaney averaged 10 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocked shots. Asher Reynolds, William Thornton and Hemming Williamson split time starting in two positions and they combined to average 14 points. Kaden Griffin started the first half of the season before an season ending injury. He averaged four points.
“It’s a big job, and with that comes a lot of pressure and expectations,” Alexander said. “I know that going in. I’m also well aware of how stiff the competition is, especially in the Jackson area. There are so many terrific coaches, guys I have a lot for respect for, and so many outstanding players. I’m looking forward to being back in that arena as a head coach.”
