John Blackledge Sports EditorBesides football season, it’s the most wonderful time of the year.
I love basketball season. I always have loved the sport. I never could play it though because for some reason I wasn’t quick enough. For local high schools district tournaments begin this week and next week. Academies start today while public schools start next Monday.
As far as I can remember I’ve always been involved in the game of basketball. I can remember when my good friend Steve Cannon asked me to be the announcer of my alma mater at Northeast Jones. That was really all it took to get me hooked on basketball.
While I loved watching my brother knock heads against other SEC teams at Mississippi State, watching my little sister Kristin play basketball was exciting too. In 2007, she played on the Lady Tiger squad that whipped Bay High 74-60. Bay High was loaded with talent, including Southern Miss signee Kendra Reed that season.
To make a long story short, my sister and the Lady Tigers dominated the game. It wasn’t even close. Also, I remember a certain game I was announcing at Northeast Jones. During the game, there was a time out. At that moment I decided to yell into the microphone the T-I-G-E-R cheer. Well, I didn’t hear referee David Bullock give me a warning, so what do I do I keep on going with it.
I received a technical foul. How is that possible? My sister plays all those years, and she never gets a technical. However, I’m just a lowly announcer, and I get the technical. Ain’t that something folks!
Ole Miss vs.
Mississippi State
Tonight Ole Mississippi and Mississippi State will do battle in Oxford at the Tad Pad. I’m going to be doing a feature article on Yazoo City’s own DeMarco Cox. It should be interesting to catch up with Cox to get his take on the Rebels success on the hardwood this season.
National Signing Day
National Signing Day is today. it’s a day where high school athletes sign letter of intents to play college football all across the country. It looks like Hugh Freeze and the Ole Miss Rebels will record one of the top signing classes in the country.
Mississippi State and Dan Mullen should be somewhere in the top 25, according to ESPN and other recruiting websites. Southern Miss and Todd Monken have nowhere to go but upwards after last season’s winless effort.
However, the big question will always be whether or not these kids that sign will have the grades to qualify. That my friends will be determined later on in June when the freshman report to training camps.
Locally, we will have special stories on athletes from Yazoo City and County that will be signing with colleges and junior colleges in Saturday’s edition.

John Blackledge is Sports Editor of the Yazoo Herald. He maybe reached by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .