The Columbus Municipal School District is moving ahead with plans to fill several coaching vacancies at Columbus High School.
Interim Columbus High Athletic Director Ben Moore said Wednesday that former Alcorn State University men’s basketball and John W. Provine High boys basketball coach Luther Riley has accepted the job as boys basketball coach at the high school.
The decision to hire Riley was approved May 11 by the CMSD school board. According to the board agenda, Riley is set to make $45,530 as a salary and $9,400 as a supplement ($54,930 total). Those figures are based on the salary schedule for 2014-15 and/or previously approved 2015-16 salary schedules.
Riley, who was unavailable for comment Wednesday night, comes to Columbus High after going 38-91 in four seasons as coach at Alcorn State in Lorman, a Division I school that is a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. In January, Riley announced he was taking a personal leave of absence. He told The Clarion-Ledger he expected to return to coaching later in the season. Assistant coach Shawn Pepp led the program in Riley’s absence. The Braves finished 6-26 (4-14 SWAC) this past season. In March, Alcorn State opted not to renew the contracts of Riley and women’s basketball coach Tonya Edwards.
The contracts for both coaches expired at the end of the month.
Alcorn State named Montez Robinson as its new men’s basketball coach last month. Robinson spent the past four seasons as an assistant coach at Bethune-Cookman University.
Courtney Pruitt is Alcorn State’s new women’s basketball coach. Pruitt spent the previous 10 seasons at Wiley College, an NAIA school in Marshall, Texas.
Riley’s best season was 2013-14, when he led the program to a 12-19 finish (9-9 SWAC). He won 10 games in his first two seasons at the school.
Riley was a former graduate assistant coach at Alcorn State under longtime coach Davey L. “The Wiz” Whitney.
Riley gained notoriety for an 11-year run as boys basketball coach at Provine High in Jackson. He had a record of 286-70 (.803), and led the program to five state titles and 10 district championships.
“We are very excited about him and what he is going to offer,” Moore said.
Still unsigned
While Moore said Riley has accepted the job, he said contracts for the 2015-16 school year haven’t been signed.
He said Riley has been at Columbus High and has met with the players and has talked with Columbus High girls basketball coach Yvonne Hairston.
“I believe Columbus Municipal School District is a great place for a coach with the experience of coach Riley,” said Dr. Philip Hickman, superintendent of the CMSD, in an email to The Dispatch.
Riley’s coaching resume also includes a stint as an assistant coach at East Central Community College in Decatur.
He also served as a volunteer assistant coach at Mississippi Valley State University under the renowned Lafayette Stribling.
He was a standout point guard at ECCC and at MVSU.
In addition to his prep and college coaching, Riley has been coach of the Mississippi North/South All-Stars (2005), a coach for the Nike All-American All Stars (2005), and the Kentucky Derby Classic All-Stars (2004).
He also has been a skills instructor at the Louisiana Showcase and a coach at the Michael Jordan Capital Classic. A Nike Certified Skills Instructor, Riley also is a coach consultant to USA Basketball and a clinician for the Mississippi Basketball Best Coaching Clinics.
Riley is from Walnut Grove, which is in Leake County.
He graduated from ECCC in 1992.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in health and physical education at Mississippi Valley State in 1995 and his master’s degree in secondary education from Alcorn State in 1998.
Replacing Smith
Riley replaces Sammy Smith, who led Columbus to a 22-6 record this past season.
The Falcons lost in the second round of the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 6A State tournament. Smith went 79-39 at Lee High in Columbus from 1988-92.
He went on to become boys basketball coach at Quitman Consolidated High, where he coached future Alabama and NBA standout Antonio McDyess, before returning to Columbus High on May 10, 1995.
Hickman said Smith is the high school physical education teacher and assistant athletic director. He said Smith also will serve in a role designed to “strengthen our athletic community and family partnerships.”
With Riley accepting the job as boys basketball coach, Columbus High still has to fill openings for a varsity boys soccer coach, a varsity baseball coach, and a fast-pitch softball coach.
Moore, who served as boys soccer coach before replacing Rusty Greene as athletic director, said the baseball was an interim position this past season.
It was held by Dallas Flippo, who served as an assistant coach for former Columbus High varsity baseball coach Jeff Cook.
Plenty of candidates
Moore said CMSD has a lot of quality candidates for the boys soccer, baseball, and fast-pitch softball coaching positions.
He said Eric Thornton will continue to be the school’s slow-pitch softball coach.
He said Thornton was interested in the fast-pitch coaching position.
Moore hopes the head coaching vacancies will be approved at the June 9 meeting.
He said interviews of candidates continue for the varsity head coaching positions, and that interviews for the assistant coaches for those sports will take place after the head coaches are hired.
Moore said the plan for the next school year is to have him continue to work in an administrative role as athletic director. He said he will continue to work in that role in an interim capacity.
“I hope at one point I become full time here,” Moore said.
As for the 2015-16 school year, Moore said Columbus High is examining the possibility of bringing back a cross country team and a golf team.
He said “shifts” among CMSD personnel would address the coaching positions for those sports.
Moore also said the school board has accepted a plan to address drainage issues at the far end of the Columbus High football field.
He said the plan is to lift the field about one foot to help correct the problem.
Neither he nor CMSD Assistant Superintendent Craig Shannon knew how much dirt would be needed.
But Shannon said in an email to The Dispatch that Columbus Hill will receive a new track, which will replace the one that surrounds the football field.
He said drainage improvements will be made to the football/track facility and that sidewalk and American Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance adjustments will be made.
Shannon said a new track for Columbus High has been approved by the school board, and that schematic drawings will be available in the summer.
Moore said all of the building projects will be completed by the 2017 season.
He said the CMSD is accepting bids for the work. He said those bids will be accepted at the June 9 board meeting.
Moore said all of the changes to the field came about as the issue of installing a turf field was examined.
Shannon said Columbus High’s football field will remain grass.
Plans for baseball, softball
As for the Columbus High baseball and softball teams, plans are to re-fence the softball field, put in a new backstop, and to re-do the press box. He said both teams will get an indoor hitting facility, which will be located next to the baseball field.
That building will include locker rooms for both teams.
He said the construction project for the building will be bidded out. He said the hope is to have that approved at the June 9 meeting.
Moore said the bidding process for the fencing has been completed. He said work should begin in the summer.
Also, scoreboards for the Columbus Middle School basketball gym and Columbus High softball field are being completed.
He said advertising is available for both, as well as new scoreboards at the baseball and football fields, so anyone who is interested in purchasing a spot on any of the scoreboards should contact the CMSD.
Despite all of the transitions, Moore likes the direction the Columbus High athletic department is going.
He said Hickman has provided a vision he hopes to help implement with the assistance of “talented players and coaches.”
Expecting to contend
“We expect to contend. We expect to move to the next level,” Moore said. “We are ready. We have made hires — football (Randal Montgomery), basketball (Riley)– to where we are ready to begin contention in our new divisions.
“We are always right there. We are excited. The city is coming behind us and getting excited as well.
“We are excited for the athletes and what they are going to be able to accomplish and experience.
“We are excited for the future.
“There are lots of changes that are happening, but those changes are very positive changes. Change is not always a bad thing. Change can be a very good thing. I think in this instance the changes that are occurring are going to be a very good thing.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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