By Robert Wilson
Madison St. Joseph’s boys basketball team won 20 of its first 21 games last season, but lost nine of 10 games in their first year of playing in the extremely difficult MAIS Class 6A conference, considered by many the toughest district in Mississippi.
Madison St. Joe coach Michael Howell believes he has a talented team again this season, feels he can improve in conference play and learn from last year’s rough results.
“Our league is the best in the state and it’s a grind every night,” said Howell, who in his eighth season at St. Joe and led the Bruins to a school record 28 wins (with only five losses), a third-place finish in the MAIS Class 5A and the first round of the Overall Tournament two years ago. “I think we lost six conference games by four points or less last year, so we just had to figure out how to get over the hump. Our biggest adjustments from last year were playing a tough summer schedule, trying to schedule a little tougher in non-conference, and our attention to detail. We felt like we have always been really good defensively, but we needed to make some adjustments offensively with how talented this league is. Our guys have worked hard since last spring on becoming skilled, stronger, and more explosive.”
All six league teams are in the Top 32 in Mississippi the latest MaxPreps rankings – Jackson Academy is No. 5, Jackson Prep is ranked No. 6, St. Joe No. 16, Hartfield Academy No. 18, Madison-Ridgeland Academy is No. 24, and Presbyterian Christian School No. 32.
“We expect to compete every night,” Howell said. “We think we are as good skill wise as anyone in our league. We know that we have to focus on each game. The other five teams are so well coached and disciplined, that you have to be locked in mentally and physically every night in order to have a chance to win.”
St. Joe’s only conference win last season was a 67-54 decision over PCS at home in its third league game. The Bruins lost twice each to defending 6A state champion and Overall Tournament champion JA (27 and 18 points), Prep (7 and 30 points), MRA (6 and 16 points), and Hartfield (4 and 2 points), and once to PCS (20 points) in regular season league play to finish as the No. 6 seed. St. Joe lost to No. 3 seed Prep by 19 points in the first round of the 6A state tournament.
St. Joe returns two starters – 6-foot junior point guard Chris Gordon and 6-1 senior guard and Mississippi College commitment Will Andrews – from that 21-11 team. Germantown High transfer and 6-3 junior guard Joe Anthony, 6-4 junior forward Jhayce Harris, and Clinton High transfer and 6-7 junior forward Zeb Bolton complete the starting lineup.
Anthony averages 20 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and blocked shots. Gordon averages 16 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds and 3 steals. Andrews averages 15 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals and shoots 41 percent from 3-point range. Bolton averages 12 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 assists and 3 blocked shots.
St. Joe has again gotten off to a great start on non-conference play with a 19-1 record with its only loss a 57-54 decision to Heritage Academy, considered a favorite for the MAIS Class 5A state championship and one of contenders for the Overall title this season. Other than the Heritage loss, only MHSAA Class 4A school Kosciusko (a four-point win) has been closer than 10 points of St. Joe.
The Bruins have won their last 10 games heading into Tuesday’s conference opener against Prep at home. Prep comes in with a 15-3 record and are coming off a one-point loss to Oak Forest, La., Academy, a team St. Joe beat by 14 points. St. Joe has lost to Prep five straight times over the past two seasons. The Bruins did beat the Patriots 47-33 three seasons ago when St. Joe was Class 5A.
“I think our good start can be contributed to several factors,” said Howell, whose assistants are Clay Weatherspoon (son of former Southern Miss and NBA star Clarence Weatherspoon) and Kendall Morrison (who has been with Howell for all eight years at St. Joe). “Guys have been locked in and focused on getting better every day. We know the challenge in front of us and that helps. We are very versatile on defense. We have multiple guys that can guard any position on the court. Zeb, Jhyace and Joe have great length and athleticism. We also play three point guards at one time, so we have a lot of options with what we want to do offensively. It helps us play fast and get good looks early on the offensive end.”
In addition to its starting lineup, St. Joe’s top reserves are parttime starter and 6-2 junior forward Chase Cox (4 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists per game), Germantown High transfer and 6-2 junior guard Tre Williams (7 points, 3 rebounds), 6-5 junior guard Joe Brown (4 points, 3 rebounds, 3 blocked shots) and 6-2 senior guard Alan Garrison (3 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist).
Howell and his team will soon find out how they stack up with the 6A teams again this season.
“I am excited to get started and show what we can do,” Howell said. “I believe this is the best team I’ve had since I came to St. Joe. These guys are talented and play well together. I know Prep, as well as the other four teams in the conference, present a big challenge for us. I hope our guys will be ready.”
