If you were to walk into the locker room of Columbus’ boys basketball team, you might notice a white board with the numbers “79-53” written out for all to see.
It’s a daily reminder to the Falcons of what could have been.
Last season a promising playoff run came to a painful close in a 56-51 loss to Olive Branch in the Class 5A quarterfinals. In that game the Falcons were sure they were the better team but were stricken by the Conquistadors’ sudden and unexpected explosion of offense that left them watching another team celebrate their opportunity to keep on dancing in the tournament. To make the loss more difficult to swallow, the Falcons had to watch Olive Branch move on to the state championship game, where it was blown out 79-53 by Ridgeland – a team Columbus beat that season twice, once by 10 points and the other by eight points.
“(Seeing that) it kind of hurt,” Columbus head coach Phillip Morris said.
The Falcons were sure their sudden lapse cost themselves a state championship, and that’s why that score and the words “Why not us?” have been hanging up in their locker room ever since.
“(It’s) basically saying, ‘Why couldn’t this be us? Why wasn’t this us?’” he reasoned.
That score and how those playoffs ended up have been the fuel burning brightly in Columbus’ basketball engine this season as it races full-speed ahead with eyes toward getting back to the playoffs. The reins to the team have been handed to leading scorers senior guard Mike Hood and junior forward DJ Verdell, and they’ve got the team sitting at 9-5 overall and in the midst of a five-game win streak that includes a 64-53 victory over Madison-Ridgeland Academy, which is currently 18-2 overall and boasts a roster that includes Erick Dampier Jr. – a 6-foot-10 five star recruit who is the No. 5 player in the nation, according to 247Sports.
“Defensively, we have started to figure out the defensive side of the game, rebounding the ball and just doing the little things (like) taking care of the basketball, taking great shots,” Morris said before praising Hood and Verdell’s prowess on offense. “So, you have those two guys leading you offensively and we’ve been putting things together offensively. Role guys have been stepping up and playing their roles, doing what they are supposed to be doing. So, we’ve just been putting it together honestly from every aspect.”
‘It wasn’t our time’
Through 14 games this season the Falcons have been outscoring their foes by an average of 16 points, and they’ve been doing it without some of their key players. Seniors Cameron Aaron (shoulder) and Courtney Perry (fractured foot) both have missed numerous games this season due to injuries suffered at the beginning of the season. Both are players Morris expects to be big contributors to the team and both are expected to return to play this season.
“So, we’re looking to get those two guys back, but we brought back a lot of guys and a lot of key pieces, and the guys who didn’t play that much (last year) are stepping up as well,” Morris told The Dispatch. “Everything has been feeling like it’s supposed to. I think we are one of the better teams in 5A and I think we have a chance, just like we had a chance last year, to get in the mix as being a state champion.”
But Morris knows that talent can only take you so far. That’s why he’s been harping on his squad in team meetings and in film review to get his team as prepared as possible for their upcoming run through Region 1-5A games.
“I honestly thought we got to a point where we kind of got peaked out, at a certain point, and that was a big thing about this group,” he said. “And that was a big thing about this group, I thought we had so much room to just continue to grow at the beginning of the year, continue to grow during district play, which I think we have done. We have guys who are mature, guys who have a better understanding of what they should be doing, what’s their role and what we need from them. So, we are continuing to just get better and getting a better understanding of what’s going on and what we need to do to try and win a championship.
“We just so happen to be fortunate enough to have some guys who can go out and get you 20 points on any given night. Defensively we are just trying to grow from that standpoint and we have a very athletic team. We have good length and a lot of great athletes, so I think that athletic side helps out as well.”
The Falcons got back on the court yesterday at Noxubee County and have a game Saturday against Spain Park. After that, it’s region games the rest of the way for Columbus, which is ready and fired up to earn the right to play in the postseason. Last year was last year, and now is the opportunity to work toward righting some wrongs.
“We look at it like it just wasn’t our time,” Morris said. “So, we are hoping this year it will be our time as God’s timing right now for us to get a state championship this year. We are going to do everything we can to put ourselves in position. We are going to work hard, try to stay healthy and we are going to try to make this run stretch here in the next two months.”
If you were to walk into the locker room of Columbus’ boys basketball team, you might notice a white board with the numbers “79-53” written out for all to see.
It’s a daily reminder to the Falcons of what could have been.
Last season a promising playoff run came to a painful close in a 56-51 loss to Olive Branch in the Class 5A quarterfinals. In that game the Falcons were sure they were the better team but were stricken by the Conquistadors’ sudden and unexpected explosion of offense that left them watching another team celebrate their opportunity to keep on dancing in the tournament. To make the loss more difficult to swallow, the Falcons had to watch Olive Branch move on to the state championship game, where it was blown out 79-53 by Ridgeland – a team Columbus beat that season twice, once by 10 points and the other by eight points.
“(Seeing that) it kind of hurt,” Columbus head coach Phillip Morris said.
The Falcons were sure their sudden lapse cost themselves a state championship, and that’s why that score and the words “Why not us?” have been hanging up in their locker room ever since.
“(It’s) basically saying, ‘Why couldn’t this be us? Why wasn’t this us?’” he reasoned.
That score and how those playoffs ended up have been the fuel burning brightly in Columbus’ basketball engine this season as it races full-speed ahead with eyes toward getting back to the playoffs. The reins to the team have been handed to leading scorers senior guard Mike Hood and junior forward DJ Verdell, and they’ve got the team sitting at 9-5 overall and in the midst of a five-game win streak that includes a 64-53 victory over Madison-Ridgeland Academy, which is currently 18-2 overall and boasts a roster that includes Erick Dampier Jr. – a 6-foot-10 five star recruit who is the No. 5 player in the nation, according to 247Sports.
“Defensively, we have started to figure out the defensive side of the game, rebounding the ball and just doing the little things (like) taking care of the basketball, taking great shots,” Morris said before praising Hood and Verdell’s prowess on offense. “So, you have those two guys leading you offensively and we’ve been putting things together offensively. Role guys have been stepping up and playing their roles, doing what they are supposed to be doing. So, we’ve just been putting it together honestly from every aspect.”
‘It wasn’t our time’
Through 14 games this season the Falcons have been outscoring their foes by an average of 16 points, and they’ve been doing it without some of their key players. Seniors Cameron Aaron (shoulder) and Courtney Perry (fractured foot) both have missed numerous games this season due to injuries suffered at the beginning of the season. Both are players Morris expects to be big contributors to the team and both are expected to return to play this season.
“So, we’re looking to get those two guys back, but we brought back a lot of guys and a lot of key pieces, and the guys who didn’t play that much (last year) are stepping up as well,” Morris told The Dispatch. “Everything has been feeling like it’s supposed to. I think we are one of the better teams in 5A and I think we have a chance, just like we had a chance last year, to get in the mix as being a state champion.”
But Morris knows that talent can only take you so far. That’s why he’s been harping on his squad in team meetings and in film review to get his team as prepared as possible for their upcoming run through Region 1-5A games.
“I honestly thought we got to a point where we kind of got peaked out, at a certain point, and that was a big thing about this group,” he said. “And that was a big thing about this group, I thought we had so much room to just continue to grow at the beginning of the year, continue to grow during district play, which I think we have done. We have guys who are mature, guys who have a better understanding of what they should be doing, what’s their role and what we need from them. So, we are continuing to just get better and getting a better understanding of what’s going on and what we need to do to try and win a championship.
“We just so happen to be fortunate enough to have some guys who can go out and get you 20 points on any given night. Defensively we are just trying to grow from that standpoint and we have a very athletic team. We have good length and a lot of great athletes, so I think that athletic side helps out as well.”
The Falcons got back on the court yesterday at Noxubee County and have a game Saturday against Spain Park. After that, it’s region games the rest of the way for Columbus, which is ready and fired up to earn the right to play in the postseason. Last year was last year, and now is the opportunity to work toward righting some wrongs.
“We look at it like it just wasn’t our time,” Morris said. “So, we are hoping this year it will be our time as God’s timing right now for us to get a state championship this year. We are going to do everything we can to put ourselves in position. We are going to work hard, try to stay healthy and we are going to try to make this run stretch here in the next two months.”
If you were to walk into the locker room of Columbus’ boys basketball team, you might notice a white board with the numbers “79-53” written out for all to see.
It’s a daily reminder to the Falcons of what could have been.
Last season a promising playoff run came to a painful close in a 56-51 loss to Olive Branch in the Class 5A quarterfinals. In that game the Falcons were sure they were the better team but were stricken by the Conquistadors’ sudden and unexpected explosion of offense that left them watching another team celebrate their opportunity to keep on dancing in the tournament. To make the loss more difficult to swallow, the Falcons had to watch Olive Branch move on to the state championship game, where it was blown out 79-53 by Ridgeland – a team Columbus beat that season twice, once by 10 points and the other by eight points.
“(Seeing that) it kind of hurt,” Columbus head coach Phillip Morris said.
The Falcons were sure their sudden lapse cost themselves a state championship, and that’s why that score and the words “Why not us?” have been hanging up in their locker room ever since.
“(It’s) basically saying, ‘Why couldn’t this be us? Why wasn’t this us?’” he reasoned.
That score and how those playoffs ended up have been the fuel burning brightly in Columbus’ basketball engine this season as it races full-speed ahead with eyes toward getting back to the playoffs. The reins to the team have been handed to leading scorers senior guard Mike Hood and junior forward DJ Verdell, and they’ve got the team sitting at 9-5 overall and in the midst of a five-game win streak that includes a 64-53 victory over Madison-Ridgeland Academy, which is currently 18-2 overall and boasts a roster that includes Erick Dampier Jr. – a 6-foot-10 five star recruit who is the No. 5 player in the nation, according to 247Sports.
“Defensively, we have started to figure out the defensive side of the game, rebounding the ball and just doing the little things (like) taking care of the basketball, taking great shots,” Morris said before praising Hood and Verdell’s prowess on offense. “So, you have those two guys leading you offensively and we’ve been putting things together offensively. Role guys have been stepping up and playing their roles, doing what they are supposed to be doing. So, we’ve just been putting it together honestly from every aspect.”
‘It wasn’t our time’
Through 14 games this season the Falcons have been outscoring their foes by an average of 16 points, and they’ve been doing it without some of their key players. Seniors Cameron Aaron (shoulder) and Courtney Perry (fractured foot) both have missed numerous games this season due to injuries suffered at the beginning of the season. Both are players Morris expects to be big contributors to the team and both are expected to return to play this season.
“So, we’re looking to get those two guys back, but we brought back a lot of guys and a lot of key pieces, and the guys who didn’t play that much (last year) are stepping up as well,” Morris told The Dispatch. “Everything has been feeling like it’s supposed to. I think we are one of the better teams in 5A and I think we have a chance, just like we had a chance last year, to get in the mix as being a state champion.”
But Morris knows that talent can only take you so far. That’s why he’s been harping on his squad in team meetings and in film review to get his team as prepared as possible for their upcoming run through Region 1-5A games.
“I honestly thought we got to a point where we kind of got peaked out, at a certain point, and that was a big thing about this group,” he said. “And that was a big thing about this group, I thought we had so much room to just continue to grow at the beginning of the year, continue to grow during district play, which I think we have done. We have guys who are mature, guys who have a better understanding of what they should be doing, what’s their role and what we need from them. So, we are continuing to just get better and getting a better understanding of what’s going on and what we need to do to try and win a championship.
“We just so happen to be fortunate enough to have some guys who can go out and get you 20 points on any given night. Defensively we are just trying to grow from that standpoint and we have a very athletic team. We have good length and a lot of great athletes, so I think that athletic side helps out as well.”
The Falcons got back on the court yesterday at Noxubee County and have a game Saturday against Spain Park. After that, it’s region games the rest of the way for Columbus, which is ready and fired up to earn the right to play in the postseason. Last year was last year, and now is the opportunity to work toward righting some wrongs.
“We look at it like it just wasn’t our time,” Morris said. “So, we are hoping this year it will be our time as God’s timing right now for us to get a state championship this year. We are going to do everything we can to put ourselves in position. We are going to work hard, try to stay healthy and we are going to try to make this run stretch here in the next two months.”
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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 35 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
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 35 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
