By Robert Wilson

Madison St. Joseph boys basketball coach Michael Howell believes his senior guard Joe Anthony is one of the best players in Mississippi.

And the teams in the MAIS North Class 4A Tournament found out why Howell believes in Anthony so much last week.

The 6-foot-3 Jones County Junior College signee averaged 26 points and nine rebounds in three tournament games and led St. Joe to the tournament championship this past week at Pillow Academy in Greenwood.

For his outstanding performance, Anthony has been named the Tatum and Wade/Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson Boys Basketball Player of the Week.

Anthony had 22 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 blocked shots and 3 steals in a 69-36 victory over Starkville Academy in the quarterfinals, 20 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 blocked shots and 2 steals in a 71-57 victory over Hartfield Academy in the semifinals and 37 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 6 steals, and 4 blocked shots in a 67-59 victory over Magnolia Heights in the championship game.

“I thought Joe kind of showed everything he could do on the court last week,” said Howell, who has been at St. Joe as head coach for nine seasons. “He had 22 points against Starkville and only played two minutes in the second half. Joe had 20 points against Hartfield despite being face guarded most of the game and getting a lot of attention. He just took over the game in the championship game and had 24 points in the first half. Joe made big play after big play and guarded their best player.”

Anthony – a member of the Tatum and Wade Mississippi Scoreboard Preseason Metro Jackson Elite 11 Team – is averaging 28 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocked shots and has led St. Joe to a 25-2 record and a No. 8 ranking in Mississippi and No. 2 ranking in MAIS Class 4A going into this week. Anthony needed only 31 points to reach the 2,000-point mark of his career going into this week.

“Joe has obviously been great for us all year,” Howell said. “He’s special because he cares very little about stats and only cares about winning. He’s a great teammate and the younger guys look up to him. Joe takes care of business in the classroom and on the court and is a vocal leader as well as leading by example. He takes our film sessions seriously and wants to be coached hard. Joe wants and expects us to be hard on him so he can improve as a player. He guards the other team’s best player the majority of the time and his instincts on defense are special. He’s had numerous games with 10 plus rebounds and five plus blocked shots. Joe was a really good player last year, but he’s made jumps in every area this year and it’s easy to see.”

Anthony averaged 21.4 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocked shots and led St. Joe to a 25-10 record and the MAIS Class 6A semifinals last season as a junior.

He shot 58 percent from the field, 39 percent and 78 percent from the free throw line last season.

Anthony was on the fourth team of the Tatum and Wade/Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson Team last season.

In addition to signing with Jones County Junior College, Anthony had 20 other college offers.

Anthony had a career-high 41 points in the season opener in a 70-60 win over Yazoo County. The school record is 54 points by Gabe Watson against Vicksburg in 2016.

Anthony is the son of Kinwana Moncure and the late Ashley Anthony. Kinwana is a Forest Hill High and Hinds Community College graduate. Ashley worked for the Mississippi Air National Guard. Anthony’s sister, Jaydn, is a Germantown High and Mississippi State graduate.

St. Joe lost to Jackson Prep in the MAIS Class 4A, Division I semifinals Wednesday and meets Magnolia Heights in the third place game Saturday at 6 p.m. at Jackson Prep in Flowood. St. Joe will play in next week’s Overall Tournament regardless of a win or loss Saturday. 

Mississippi Scoreboard selects a boys basketball player from Hinds, Madison, or Rankin counties each week. Coaches can nominate a player by sending a text to Robert Wilson at 601.506.2276. 

PREVIOUS WINNERS 

WEEK ONE: Jeff Flanagan, Madison Central 

WEEK TWO: Sam Funches, Germantown

WEEK THREE: Lazabian Banks, Lanier 

WEEK FOUR: Braxton Ward, Callaway 

WEEK FIVE; Austin Richards, Jackson Academy

WEEK SIX: DeShawn Dillon, Northwest Rankin 

WEEK SEVEN: Marcus Goodloe, Jackson Academy

WEEK EIGHT: Jeff Flanagan, Madison Central