By Billy Watkins
The last players he will ever coach made a tight circle around MRA boys basketball head coach Richard Duease in the dressing room Tuesday night at Mississippi College. The players opened small bottles of water and in unison began jumping and shouting as the water showered them all.
It was a fitting way to celebrate a 65-53 victory over Jackson Academy and Duease’s 16th MAIS Overall championship.
He is retiring as the winningest high school basketball coach in Mississippi history with 1,888 victories and 42 state titles over a career that spanned 52 years.
In the tunnel leading back to the court, where celebrating fans waited to shake his hand or have photos taken with him, Duease shared a worthy nugget.
“This team has the best record of any team I’ve ever coached — 36-2,” he said. “It’s a credit to those players. They really came together this summer and played hard every time out. I really think they tried to take care of their old coach.”
The Patriots’ only losses were to Zachary High School, the top-rated team in Louisiana by MaxPreps, and MHSAA-member Columbus High, the fifth-ranked team in Mississippi. MRA won its final 19 games.
“Playing for Coach this year definitely put a chip on our shoulder,” said Will Bizot, who had a team-high seven assists and three steals. “We had one year to give Coach what he deserved — a gold ball (trophy).”
“We won it for Coach Duease,” said Zavian Carr, who had 13 points and six assists. “There was some pressure involved, but he always had us ready to play. He gets the most out of each player. I think it’s great that he ends his career this way.”
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Earlier Tuesday, after a brief practice, the 74-year-old Duease previewed the showdown with JA.
“They’re good,” he said. “This won’t be easy. But I really like my team. They’re unified, they pull for one another. It’s one of the best passing teams I’ve ever had. And they’ll guard you Never forget, defense travels.”
MRA held JA to 33.9 percent shooting. The Patriots led 28-17 at halftime and 46-30 entering the fourth quarter.
JA managed to cut the deficit to eight points with 3:48 left, using a full-court press that seemed to rattle the Patriots.
During a timeout to settle down his players, Duease grabbed his white board for the final time and began drawing dots here and dots there. Then he drew a line for one of the dots to race from the sideline to the middle of the floor, just across half-court. That dot was wide open on the white board and on the court. The Patriots executed the play, beating the press and extending the lead.
That’s also when 6-foot-10 sophomore EJ Dampier took over the game. He scored nine points in the final three minutes to stretch the lead and seal the victory.
Dampier, just 16 years old, showed why he is rated the No. 3 player in the ESPN Class of 2028. He scored 25 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, blocked eight shots and dished four assists. He made 12 of 14 shots. His fadeaway hook was particularly lethal. . His dad, Erick Dampier, led Mississippi State to the Final Four in 1996 and played 16 seasons in the NBA.
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Duease’s wife of 38 years, Kim, said a few hours before the game: “For the first time since we’ve been married, I’m nervous about this game. I know there is nothing on this earth that these players wouldn’t do for him. I know down deep that they’re going to play their game and they’ll be fine. And at the end of the day, they’ll give the glory to the Lord.”
They married before his sixth of 44 seasons at MRA.
“I still don’t know a thing about basketball,” Kim said. “I never played. Never appreciated the game until I married Richard.
“I’ve had it so fortunate as a coach’s wife. We’ve never been uprooted like a lot of coaches and their families. I married into that school. Ann Taylor (their daughter) went to MRA. That’s sacred ground to us.”
Kim said her husband’s focus Tuesday morning was “solely on winning this game.” He had shown no signs of being reflective.
“I’ve had a few moments this morning where it’s really starting hit me,” she said. “I went to a pep rally at the school. Ann Taylor is here with her baby and husband. We knew this day was coming, but this season seems to have gone by so fast.”
Kim is an established artist and owns Kim Duease Designs in Madison. When she paints, she wants her husband to see each piece of work. But deteriorating eyesight has limited his ability to see detail.
“He doesn’t see what I see in a painting,” she said. “I want him to see the beauty of this world. I’m inspired by nature and sometimes I’ll see something and I’ll say ‘I wish he could see that.’ ”
As the final seconds ticked off the clock, Kim edged her way toward the bench area. When the horn sounded, Duease pumped his right fist, then stood and watched his players celebrate with students at mid-court.
Soon, his family greeted him. Ann Taylor gave him a kiss, then Kim and then his grandson, 2-year-old Cobb who was happy to see Papa.
The MRA fans showed the coach and Kim their love for an hour after the game. Finally, as the crowd thinned, the coach and Kim put their arms around each other and walked off the court and into the night.
Street lights illuminated their steps away from an elite career and toward the next chapter of their lives.
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