In the town of Aberdeen, basketball is a way of life.
These days, the living is good.
The Aberdeen High School boys basketball team is back in the running for the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 3A state championship. The Bulldogs (24-6) already have qualified for the Jackson proceedings and are three wins away from a title.
Aberdeen will try to take the first step at 1:30 p.m. today when it takes on Tylertown (21-5) in the quarterfinals at Jackson State.
First-year Aberdeen coach Jaworski Rankin feels his squad is right on target.
“The growth of this team has been incredible,” Rankin said. “We knew what we were, but we also knew what we could become. To see a group of young men grow and evolve like this is very rewarding.”
Rankin knew the challenge last summer when he replaced Cornelius Gilleylen, who wasn’t retained after one season as head coach and four seasons at the school.
According to Gilleylen, he was let go because he didn’t have preferred certification to teach certain classes at Aberdeen. A year ago, the Bulldogs finished 24-8 and lost to East Side in the Class 3A North State Class 3A semifinals.
Gilleylen is an assistant coach at the University of St. Francis, a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) school in Joliet, Illinois.
The Aberdeen School District went under conservatorship two years ago. At the time, a couple of varsity sports were eliminated and a closer look was taken at all extra-curricular positions.
“You have a school district committed to successful basketball,” Rankin said. “Obviously, there were some issues, but I felt good about the direction of the program in particular and the school in general. The right leadership is being put in place to turn this thing around.
“You have a tremendous amount of tradition here. I really don’t know who would not want to be a part of that.”
Senior Marcus Carouthers has been part of that tradition while playing for three head coaches.
“There is no doubt that it is has been hard,” Carouthers said. “At the end, it’s still basketball and we love playing. However, it is hard when you are doing things one way and then a year later you are doing things another way. It has been tough on all of us.
“What we do have is each other. When it comes game time, we play ball.”
Roy Hazzle coached the Bulldogs for three decades. He was terminated by conservator Robert Strebeck in May 2013. Hazzle has since sued the school district and has a January 2016 trial date, claiming age discrimination for his termination.
Aberdeen lost in the state semifinals in Jackson in 2012. A year before, Aberdeen went 26-3 but was upset in the first round of the playoffs. It won its lone basketball state championship in 2008.
In 2009, the Aberdeen High gym was named in Hazzle’s honor. The first of two retirements followed. However, Hazzle changed his mind each time and returned to coach. His last stint at the school didn’t involve teaching, only coaching.
“Coach Hazzle built an empire here,” Rankin said. “We have one of the most difficult places to play in all of high school basketball in this state. We have tried to enhance that. We want to remember the past and build on it for an even bigger future.”
Aberdeen made a statement early in the season when it defeated Class 5A foe New Hope in the season opener without its football-playing basketball players. It won its first six games before losing to Tupelo.
Aberdeen followed that loss with a loss to Horn Lake in the Joe Horne Columbus Christmas Classic.
Rankin realized quickly Carouthers was a special player. He also felt the Bulldogs needed to have balance on offense if they wanted to have a chance to earn a gold ball.
“When you have star players, it is not uncommon for other players to stand around,” Rankin said. “Ironically, we had a few games where Marcus had foul trouble. That may have been the best thing to happen to us. It made other players work harder. Other players had to step up and make shots.
“We have always played defended. We have always played hard. The key is the offensive balance. As the other players have gained more confidence to contribute, it has really helped this team.”
Aberdeen won twice in the Travis Outlaw Slam Dunk at Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville and followed that up with a win at the Itawamba Community College’s Rumble on the River.
Aberdeen also won the Monroe County Tournament championship and the Class 3A, Region 4 title.
“Aberdeen basketball is about going fast. We have always gone fast,” Aberdeen junior guard Queshod Young said. “Now we are organized and going fast. It seems like there is a purpose in everything we are doing. It can be a drill in practice. It can be a timeout. It just seems like there is more focus and more attention to detail.
“For the seniors, this is their last shot (at a state championship), so they want it real bad. We are a lot different team than we were when the season started.”
In the postseason, Aberdeen avenged last season’s defeat to East Side by winning 71-59 in the second round of the playoffs. With the present format no longer recognizing a North State champion, Aberdeen heads to Jackson needing three wins to win a state title.
“The biggest difference is we have a bigger offense,” Marcus Carouthers said. “In the past we just defended and ran up and down the floor. Now we have a little better sense of what we are doing on offense. Aberdeen always has ballplayers, so you know you are going to have work hard and produce if you want to play.
“This year has been more fun because of some of the things we are capable of doing.”
Carouthers is averaging 23.3 points per game. Seniors Trent Davis and Darrell Carouthers and Young are all hovering around 10 ppg.
Rankin already had proven his ability to build a winner. In 2013-14, Rankin’s Grenada team went 23-12 and lost to Gulfport in the Class 6A state championship game. Rankin was at Grenada for three seasons, including a 12-12 team in his first campaign.
With all of the hard work he invested to reverse that program’s fortunes, some might have questioned why he wanted to come to Aberdeen. After all, the inability to replace Hazzle with a qualified applicant was part of the reason the veteran coach decided to come back. At the time, Hazzle said he wouldn’t walk away if his program wasn’t “in very good hands.”
In the end, Aberdeen’s tradition won out. The conservatorship should end next year. The talent will always be there.
After all, young men in Aberdeen grow up playing basketball first and football second.
“There is so much to like here,” Rankin said. “Every day is exciting. I know where we are but, more importantly, I know where can go. We can make this thing special.”
Scott Walters is a sports writer for The Dispatch. His email is [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.