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NA Girls Basketball Players Receive Division Honors

Pictured above:  Coach John Stroud recently congratulated four Lady Bulldog basketball players for being selected to the Division 1-4A Team.  Front row l-r:  Kebrina Lucas, Micha Washington, Jazmine Spears, Nyambi Penson; back row:  Coach Stroud.

The New Albany girls’ basketball team has four players on the 1-4A Girls’ Basketball All-Division Team.  The 2009-2010 girls division team was announced earlier this month.

The Lady Bulldogs went 10-0 in regular season division play and were the Division Tournament and North Half Champs.  The 32-1 Lady Bulldogs suffered their only loss in the 4A State Championship finals when they lost to Raymond.

Members of the Division Team include Lady Bulldog players:  Kebrina Lucas, a junior guard who averaged 11 points per game and led the team in assists with 4 per game; Nyambi Penson, a junior guard who averaged 8 points per game and was the leading three-point shooter for the team; Micha Washington, a junior forward who averaged 15 points and 7 rebounds per game; and Jazmine Spears.

Spears was named the division’s Most Valuable Player.  She is a freshman forward and has started for the Lady Bulldogs the past two seasons.  Spears led the team in scoring and rebounding with 20.5 points and 11 rebounds per game.   

“I am extremely proud of our team and their accomplishments this year,” said Lady Bulldog Head Coach John Stroud.  “We are excited that these players have been recognized for their contributions to the team in division play.”  Stroud added that there are no seniors on this year’s team and he looks forward to working with the team in the off-season to prepare for the coming year. 

“We are extremely proud of Coach Stroud and the Lady Bulldog Basketball teams accomplishments this year,” said Jay Foster, New Albany High School Principal.  “They have brought a lot of great recognition to our school and community.  We are pleased that many of the players have been recognized with post-season honors.”

NA Boys’ Basketball Players, Coach Receive Division Honors

Pictured above front row l-r:  Kareem Brown, Tadarious Coburn, and Malcolm Spears.  Back row:  Coach Brad Gray.  Not pictured:  Devonte Berry.

The New Albany boys’ basketball team is well represented on the 1-4A Boys’ Basketball All-Division Team.  The 2009-2010 boy’s division team was announced earlier this month.

Coach Brad Gray was named Division 1-4A Boys’ Coach of the Year.  Gray has seven years of coaching experience and just finished his 2nd season as the Bulldogs’ head coach.  The Bulldogs were the Division Champs and Gray led his team to the second round of the North Half playoffs where they lost to Rosa Fort.

Members of the first team included Bulldog players:  Kareem Brown, Malcolm Spears, and Tadarious Coburn.    Brown is a junior guard and a three-year starter for the team.  Spears is a junior guard and a two-year starter, while Coburn is a junior forward and started for the Bulldogs this season.   Sophomore guard Devonte Berry received honorable mention. 

Tadiarious Coburn was also named Most Valuable Player.  Coburn is a junior forward and started for the Bulldogs this season.  “Tadiarious did a good job for us both offensively and defensively this season by scoring, rebounding, and blocking shots,” said Gray. 

Kareem Brown was named Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive year.  According to Gray, Brown was always given the task of guarding the opposing team’s best player.  “Kareem always gave good effort at putting pressure on the ball and forcing turnovers.”

“We are extremely proud of Coach Gray and his team’s accomplishments this past season,” said Shane Sanderson, New Albany High School Athletic Director.  “Coach Gray is very energetic and his players work hard for him. We are excited that he and his players have been recognized for their hard work and dedication.”

New Albany Lady Dogs Basketball 25-0

Following article & picture courtesy of The Clarion Ledger

Top-ranked New Albany eyes perfection

Junior-laden Lady Bulldogs pursuing undefeated season, Class 4A state championship

Rod Walker
rwalker@clarionledger.com

Every now and then, New Albany coach John Stroud will give his girls basketball team a history lesson.

He'll tell them about that New Albany boys team that went undefeated during the 1984-85 season. They were the last MHSAA boys team to run the table.

Twenty-five years later, the Lady Bulldogs (25-0), ranked No. 1 in The Clarion-Ledger Super 10, are trying to pull off a perfect season as well.

"It's really hard to do and we know that," said Stroud, a former All-American at Ole Miss, where he still holds the all-time scoring record he set from 1976-80. "We're just trying to put that 25-0 behind us because everybody's 0-0 now. It's an eight-game season now. Two in the division. Four in North Half and two in the state. Like the cliche goes, we're just trying to take it one at a time."

New Albany's next hurdle comes tonight at 7 when it faces Itawamba AHS in the Division 1-4A Tournament at Itawamba Community College.

"People just remember how you did in the playoffs," said Stroud. "What we've done is a big achievement, but it will go away quickly if we lose in the division tournament or North Half. We know the monkey's on our back and everybody's trying to give us the first loss."

The Lady Bulldogs are seeking to become just the third MHSAA school (girls or boys) to go undefeated over the last 10 years. The Indianola Gentry Lady Rams put together back-to-back perfect seasons in 2006-07 and 2007-08.

But Stroud knows it won't be easy.

In fact, he made sure it wouldn't be.

"Last year we had a relatively easy schedule and won 27 games," said Stroud, whose team lost just one senior off last year's squad that reached the 4A State Tournament. "I tried to make the schedule pretty hard this year, but our girls have just found a way every game to win."

But in order for the Lady Bulldogs to hoist the gold ball in three weeks, they'll have to go through a rugged Class 4A field that includes four of the top five teams in the Super 10 (No. 2 Raymond, No. 4 Pass Christian and No. 5 Lafayette County).

New Albany has already posted a 66-46 victory over Lafayette County, the Lady Commodores' lone loss of the season.

"We have sold them on half-court defense and that has been our calling card all year," said Stroud, who coached the New Albany boys to a 3A title in 1987 and then coached at Millsaps before returning to coach the New Albany girls six years ago. "We guard people well and the girls just have had good team chemistry."

One coach in north Mississippi thinks New Albany has a good shot at running the table.

"They have such good guard play and good post play and that says it all," said Tupelo coach Stephanie Murphy, whose team lost 54-49 to New Albany in the regular-season finale. "It will be hard to run the table, but if they play up to their potential, they can."

The Lady Bulldogs are led by forward Jazmine Spears, a 5-foot-11 freshman who is averaging 21 points and 11 rebounds.

"Jazmine is the type that doesn't really awe you the way she plays, but she's just a grinder out there," said Stroud. "She just knows the game for a 15-year-old ninth-grader. She's brought the team together and is the difference-maker."

She is joined in the starting lineup by four juniors: forward Micha Washington (6-foot-1, 13 points per game) and guards Kebrina Lucas (12 points), Nyambi Penson and Porche White. Caroline Stroud, the coach's daughter, comes off the bench.

"I think what makes us good is we all bring something different to the team and we've played together basically our whole lives," said White, who says she and her teammates feel no pressure to go undefeated. "I would love to go undefeated, but if it took a loss to win the State Tournament, I'd take it."

Stroud, agrees.

"Our goal is to win state, not to go undefeated," said Stroud. "It's going to be hard to do, and we know that."

John Walker Named Head Baseball Coach at New Albany

The New Albany School Board approved John Walker as head baseball coach at New Albany High School.  Walker comes to New Albany from Delta State University where he served as a graduate assistant and assistant coach from 2007-2009. 

Prior to Delta State, Walker was an assistant coach for baseball, football, and basketball at Water Valley High School.  He is currently serving as assistant baseball coach for the North Delta Dealers in the Cotton States Baseball League.

A Water Valley native, Walker is a graduate of Delta State University where he holds both a Bachelor of Science in Education and Master of Education in Health, Physical Education, and Recreation. 

Walker met with players and parents on June 30 and will begin working with players when school starts in August.  He is excited about the opportunities that lie ahead for him and looks forward to being a part of the Bulldog baseball program.     

“I have a passion for baseball and knowledge of the game and I look forward to sharing that passion and knowledge with the team,” Walker said.  “I respect the work of Coach Fowler and am excited about the opportunity to serve as a head coach and have a baseball program under my direction.” 

“I would like to thank Curt Fowler for his dedication to the baseball program at New Albany,” said Jay Foster, Principal of New Albany High School.  “He put us in a position where we were able to have quality applicants and to ultimately hire Coach Walker who has been a part of two successful baseball programs at Water Valley and Delta State.”

Foster noted that Walker came highly recommended from Coach Kinnison at Delta State and believes Walker will bring the needed work ethic and the game and practice management necessary to make the program successful.

Northeast Golf Inks Bulldog Pair

Top Picture:  Front row- (L-R) Mary Holmes, Tucker Holmes, Spencer Holmes
Back row-(L-R) Northeast head golf coach Craig Lauderdale, New Albany head golf coach Robert Garrett

Bottom Picture:  Front row-(L-R) Scott Holt, Austin Holt, Gale Manning
Back row-(L-R) Coach Lauderdale, Lisa Manning, Coach Garrett

BOONEVILLE, Miss. – Northeast Mississippi Community College golf coach Craig Lauderdale has signed two New Albany High School seniors to the Northeast golf for the 2009-10 program.

Tucker Holmes and Austin Holt inked with Northeast on Wednesday March 25 in front of a crowd of coaches, parents and faculty in the media room on the New Albany campus.

Holmes was named the Most Valuable Player on the Bulldogs golf team in 2007 and was the team’s 2008 Co-MVP while placing fifth at the 2008 Class 4A State Tournament.

“It’s a real big honor that Coach Lauderdale signed me,” Holmes said.  “I am happy that I get to continue my golf career. I need to start hitting my irons better and improve my short game in order to help the Tiger golf team.”

Holmes is also a member of the New Albany Soccer team.

Holt brings his own advantage of skills and abilities to the greens for Northeast.

Holt finished sixth overall in individuals at the 2008 Class 4A State Tournament and received the honor of being the Bulldogs’ Co-MVP for the 2008 season.

“I am glad to be going to Northeast,” Holt said. “I am also glad that I have been giving the opportunity to play golf for the Tigers. I must improve my short game and iron game as well as hitting my drives straighter in order to be successful at the next level.”

New Albany golf coach Robert Garrett was glad to see his players go to the area school.

“I think Northeast is lucky to have these two guys because they could have been Division I type players but they wanted to go to Northeast,” Garrett said. “They have been two of the best golfers in North Mississippi since their sophomore years and helped lead us to the 4A state tournament for three years now.”

Northeast’s golf team is set to host the Mississippi Association of Community/Junior College’s (MACJC) tour-stop at Shiloh Ridge Athletic Club in Corinth on March 30-31.

Since jumping to Division II at the beginning of the year, Northeast has recorded a pair of runner-up finishes to perennial power Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College this season.

Courtesy of Northeast Mississippi Community College Sports Information Office

Gray named Head Boys’ Basketball Coach

BRAD GRAY NEW BOYS’ BASKETBALL COACH AT NAHS

Brad Gray joins the coaching staff at New Albany High School for the 2008-09 school year as Head Boys’ Basketball Coach.  Coach Gray comes to New Albany from Lewisburg High School in Olive Branch where he has been Head Basketball Coach for two seasons.  Prior to that, he was head coach for both basketball and baseball at Hickory Flat High School. 

A Senatobia native, Gray is a graduate of the University of Mississippi.  He holds a B.A. in Secondary Education, with an emphasis on Social Studies.  He also attended Northwest Community College where he was a member of the baseball team.

Gray is looking forward to leading the New Albany boys’ basketball program.  “New Albany has always had a great reputation for basketball.  I am excited to be a part of this program and look forward to good things,” he said.