Articles by Adam Minichino
Heritage Academy’s Bell, Sharp going to EMCC
Brandon Bell and Blake Sharp did nearly everything on the football field in their high school careers.
The next challenge for the Heritage Academy standouts will be to earn playing time on one of the nation’s best teams.
Bell and Sharp took the first step in that journey Wednesday morning when they signed scholarships to play football for the national champion East Mississippi Community College football team.
Noxubee County send six to next level
MACON — Tyrone Shorter couldn’t help but think back Wednesday about how far some of his players have come.
National Signing Day typically is a time for coaches, parents, and players to reflect on an athletic journey that includes plenty of ups and downs and lessons learned.
Six Noxubee County High School football players shared those memories with Shorter, members of the team’s coaching staff, and family members Wednesday as they announced their plans to play the sport in college.
MSU women will try to find rhythm
The message remains the same for Sharon Fanning-Otis: Her Mississippi State University women’s basketball team needs to get tougher.
As MSU (13-8, 3-5 Southeastern Conference) enters the month of February, it is running out of time if it wants to realize its goal to return to the NCAA tournament. At this time last season, MSU started to round into shape and played its best basketball of the campaign, going 5-5 in the final two months.
New Hope basketball sweeps West Point
Consider Tuesday night a dress rehearsal.
The performances that count will come Tuesday night.
The New Hope High School basketball teams took positive steps toward third meetings against West Point with two victories in the Class 5A, Region 2, District 1 regular-season finale in Columbus.
Local youth soccer players invited to ODP pool
The Columbus United Soccer Club continues to grow and to help its players make inroads into the highest levels of soccer in the state of Mississippi.
Ten Columbus United players recently validated that statement when they received invitations to the state’s Olympic Development Training pool.
Burton, May embrace opportunity to resume soccer careers
CALEDONIA — Lindsey Burton and Nick May have shared a passion for soccer for many years.
The Caledonia High School soccer standouts have used that love for the sport to push themselves each year closer and closer to their dreams.
On Monday, they finally realized those goals when they signed scholarships to play soccer at Itawamba Community College.
Rebounding numbers offensive for MSU women
STARKVILLE — Statistics can be used to prove nearly every point.
When it comes to the 2011-12 Mississippi State University women’s basketball team, it’s hard to ignore two statistical categories that have played significant roles through the first 20 games.
Not only is MSU last in the Southeastern Conference in assists and assist-to-turnover ratio, but it also is 11th in rebounding margin. At first glance, the 41.6-41.5 total appears inconsequential. But when you consider only SEC games, the difference climbs to 44.1-36.4.
Ridgeland ends New Hope’s season
The Ridgeland High School girls soccer team didn’t want any margin for error Saturday night.
The Lady Titans made sure their season would continue with an onslaught that left the New Hope Lady Trojans with little room to do much of anything.
Haley Britt and Shannon Locke each had three goals as Ridgeland rolled to a 10-0 victory against New Hope in a Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 5A North State second-round match.
Hern leads New Hope soccer in north state playoffs
Sarah Hern is accustomed to running and running and running — as a forward.
The New Hope High School senior also has seen playing time in the midfield. Either way, most of her time as a Lady Trojan has been spent in an attacking position.
New Hope drops basketball pair to Oxford
Tick, tick, tick.
Laura Lee Holman will be counting the minutes until the next time her New Hope High School girls basketball team plays Oxford.
Arkansas’ defense slows Johnson, MSU
STARKVILLE — As much as she tried, Diamber Johnson wasn’t herself.
Up since 5:30 a.m. Thursday to take care of her mother, Adella, who suffered a heart attack, the Mississippi State University senior guard didn’t realize she hadn’t eaten anything all day until she returned to Humphrey Coliseum later in the day.
Grant learning intricacies of being a shooter
STARKVILLE — Kendra Grant is accustomed to be a target.
When you’re a “shooter” it’s difficult to blend into a game or sneak through the lane or rub off a screen to get an open shot.
But Grant learned how to outfox the toughest scouting reports in a standout career at Richland High School. Nineteen games into her first season as a member of the Mississippi State University women’s basketball team, Grant is learning every day and is showing she is just as capable of being a “shooter” in one of the nation’s top Division I conferences.
Williams, Mobley lead Columbus girls, Starkville boys
Neither Daisha Williams nor Jacolby Mobley have nicknames.
They did their best Tuesday night to secure monikers that fit their versatile abilities.
Williams scored 16 points and complemented Kiandria Patterson (game-high 26 points) and Maggie Proffitt (14) in ideal “third wheel” status to help the Columbus High School girls basketball team beat Starkville 80-56.
Mobley, true to his “area code” shooting stroke, tied Gavin Ware for game-high scoring honors with 16 points to lead the Starkville High boys to a 54-36 win.
Lady Bulldogs grow up in victory over Auburn
STARKVILLE — Actions, not talk, dictate success.
So when the Mississippi State University women’s basketball team’s starting five crouched in a defensive stance and slapped the Humphrey Coliseum floor with the palms of their hands 21 seconds into their game Sunday against Auburn University, you had to believe the Lady Bulldogs were prepared to deliver a focused effort.
New Hope girls travel to Hernando to open soccer playoffs
Leadership is crucial when you’re building a program.
A year ago, Mary Nagy helped the New Hope High School girls soccer team establish that foundation as it won its first playoff game and advanced to the second round before losing to state power Ridgeland.
Columbus boys face Northwest Rankin in soccer playoffs
Transformations typically don’t happen overnight.
But Columbus High School boys soccer coach Ben Moore has watched this season as a team that won one game in 2010-11 has won six this season and has acc
ICCE’s Moore earns Prep Player of Week honors
STEENS — Billy Thomas never doubted Ross Moore.
Even after a shoulder injury forced the senior to miss his final season with the Immanuel Christian football team, Thomas knew Moore was going to find a way to work through his rehabilitation and return to the basketball court.
Johnson leads MSU women to big win vs. Auburn
STARKVILLE — The look in Diamber Johnson’s eyes said it all.
Trailing by 15 points in an otherwise lackluster first-half performance by her team, the Mississippi State University senior point guard had seen enough. MSU had just turned the ball over on three consecutive possessions and looked like it was going to fall deeper into a hole.
That trajectory changed with one jump shot.
Vikings coach, Columbus native Leslie Frazier reflects on season
Adversity is going to make Leslie Frazier stronger.
The Columbus native certainly experienced a fair share of setbacks and change in his first full season as head coach of the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings.
