Basketball

SIKESTON, Mo. – If there wasn’t a mandatory five-year wait after high school, former Sikeston Bulldog basketball standout Fred Thatch would’ve been inducted into the Hall of Fame the day after graduation. But like everyone else, Thatch had to wait, and now his time has come to be enshrined as a Bulldog Hall of Famer...

One local basketball standout and former college All-American will forever be immortalized in the world of college basketball. Tyler Hansbrough, a 2005 Poplar Bluff High School graduate who led the Mules to a Class 5 state title before advancing to the University of North Carolina, where he became a three-time All-American, will take his rightful place in the College Basketball Hall of Fame for the class of 2023.

COLUMBIA, Mo. — The Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) ruled standout athlete PJ Farmer eligible to compete for Sikeston High School Athletics during a hearing in Columbia, Missouri on Wednesday, September 6. “I’m overcome with joy and quite thankful that this process is behind us,” Farmer said. “I’m more than grateful for the support I had and currently have and I can’t wait for the season to kick off.”...

BERNIE – There will be less than a month for Bernie High School baseball coach and assistant boy’s basketball coach Marcus Massey to breathe between his fall baseball season, which ends on October 3, and the start of hoops, which starts on October 29.

Juggling multiple roles on a job can be stressful, but it’s just another day in the office for Brian Bess. Bess wears many hats for Three Rivers Community College as he’s maintained a consistent role for the past three years as the athletic director and the men’s head basketball coach.

Another summer is in the books for one of the biggest tournament events in the southeast. The 2023 Rib City Shootout wrapped up its final game of the season and significantly impacted the Poplar Bluff community with its new expectation to the Black River Coliseum.

Former Poplar Bluff and Three Rivers College standout Marissa Webb has spent the last few seasons among the coaching ranks and as of a few days ago, she has her next landing spot. Webb was named an assistant coach for the Salukis women’s basketball team at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

For children throughout Southeast Missouri, who have a devotion to athletics, and an even stronger pull to Jesus Christ, today’s “Power Camp” at the Cape SportsPlex, which is conducted by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes of Southeast Missouri, may be as great of an experience as you can combine. “FCA’s goal is,” FCA Area Director Darrin Scott explained, “can we bring every athlete and every coach to know Jesus and get them into a church where they can grow?

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — Portageville High School clinched the prestigious rustmedia Best Fans Award for the fourth consecutive year at the 2023 Semoball Awards held on Friday, July 14, at LaCriox Church. The winner was determined through a voting process that received more than 15,000 total votes from schools across the Semoball coverage area. ...

The Three Rivers College Men’s basketball team is set to bring in an entirely new roster for the upcoming season. Both coach Brian Bess and Trey Rakes hit the recruiting circuit hard this summer, looking for the right pieces to elevate their team.

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — When it comes to high school athletics, few athletes can match the sheer dominance of Jadis Jones. His exceptional talent and an unrivaled commitment to his craft have propelled Jones to the pinnacle of high school sports in southeast Missouri, being named The Crader Distributing and your local STIHL dealers Boys Basketball Athlete of the Year and The SoutheastHEALTH Male Athlete of the Year at the 2023 Semoball Awards on Friday, July 14, at LaCriox Church...

Three Rivers College athletes score big in the classroom by receiving a spot on the NJCAA All-Academic team for the 2022-2023 season. Nearly 30 student-athletes excelled as a whole in the classroom and in their respective sports. Athletic director and head Men’s basketball coach Brian Bess said it’s one thing to be an elite athlete, but handling business in the classroom can take a player much further.

Dr. Chris Crawford is no stranger to success in leading Saxony Lutheran High School student-athletes in their quests for achievement, so adding to his responsibilities with the Crusader kids made a lot of sense in the eyes of the school’s leaders.

The newly named Poplar Bluff High girl’s basketball coach got her first taste of coaching the Lady Mules at the Rib City Shootout. Poplar Bluff R-1 Superintendent Dr. Aaron Cornman announced last week that Soley Dugas would take the role of head girl’s basketball coach for the Lady Mules during the board of education meeting.

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — In the realm of high school sports, where dreams are forged and legends take shape, one name shines brighter than the rest. Amiyah Saxton, an embodiment of unwieldy commitment and prowess, recently attained a remarkable milestone in her athletic journey when she was named the SoutheastHEALTH Female Athlete of the Year at the Semoball Award on Friday, July 14 at La Croix Church...

BLOOMFIELD – It would have been understandable if the leadership at Bloomfield Schools had some trepidation at the thought of hiring Ben Sindle as its next varsity boy’s basketball coach.

CARDWELL – Southland High School alumnus and new basketball Head Coach Tyre Washington said he knew all the area athletes and has watched them progress throughout the years. “The first coaching job I had was at Southland elementary,” Coach Washington said. ...

BLOOMFIELD – First-year Bloomfield High School varsity boy’s basketball coach Ben Sindle hasn’t been on the job long, but he has seen enough of his rival at Puxico High School to know how he wants to emulate the Indian program. “The kids at Puxico are blowing up their coach’s phone, saying ‘We want to get in the gym,’” Sindle said recently after scrimmaging against Puxico. “We have to be like that.”

After an impressive season on the court, Jackson’s Katie Waller was honored with the My Daddy’s Cheesecake Girls Basketball Athlete of the Year award at the 2023 Semoball Awards presented by SoutheastHEALTH on Friday, July 14, at LaCroix Church in Cape Girardeau...

CARDWELL – A Saturday basketball camp hosted at Southland C-9 High School was a first for the area, and it provided a unique experience for about 35 promising student athletes. The Wings Elite Exposure Camp led by Dr. Lee St. Pierre and his son Parker St. Pierre of Jonesboro, Ark., promised just what its title promised...

HOLCOMB – Education and coaching veteran John Hixson will step up as the new head coach of the Holcomb High School boys basketball team this year. Hixson, assistant coach of the Hornets for the past two years, will be taking over for Michael Snider, who is heading home to coach at his alma mater, Twin Rivers...

Ben Sindle and the former Michaela Gard are a pair of Dexter High School graduates, who are embarking on a professional and personal journey together in the Stoddard County burg of Bloomfield, and despite an allegiance to the Bearcats, both are ecstatic about the situation.

The success of the Sikeston High School boy’s basketball squad this past winter caught some hoop fans off-guard, but perhaps it shouldn’t have had, in large part due to the Bulldogs’, well, off-guard.

All the roster spots are filled for the Three Rivers Lady Raider basketball team as they get ramped up for next season. Head coach Alex Wiggs and assistant Caleb Livingston were busy this summer bringing in another freshman class with a few transfers, and they are ready to get to work.

The questions on everyone’s mind, as it related to New Madrid County Central High School stud-athlete Jadis Jones over the past year, have always been: Where will he play at the next level, and what sport will he play?

SENATH – Kyle Moore was a standout baseball and basketball athlete at Senath-Hornersville just seven years ago, earning postseason honors season after season for both sports. But his heart was on the basketball court, where he earned his place on All-Conference, All-District and All-State teams and racked up more than 2,000 points by the time he graduated in 2016...

It would be commonplace to believe replacing a coaching icon could prove to be intimidating but watching recently-hired New Madrid County Central varsity boy’s basketball coach Dontre Jenkins lead the Eagles through summer workouts, it seems as if he was born to be in this position.

Former Indiana State University men’s basketball coach Royce Waltman made that statement following his final game as the Sycamores’ leader in 2007 and those words ring as true today throughout collegiate athletics – if not more so – than they did then.

For over a decade leading up to the 2018-19 varsity boy’s basketball season, veteran coach Gregg Holifield’s teams at Sikeston High School were known for, well, first of all, winning, but how the Bulldogs won was with an explosive offense, and just as important, stifling defense.

For the young girls with dreams of playing collegiate basketball, Three Rivers College has provided a stage where an athlete can learn the fundamentals and develop their skills. The Three Rivers Lady Raiders basketball team will host their inaugural all-girls basketball camp on July 5th at Libla Family Sports Complex.

It might be a good idea for New Madrid County Central senior-to-be, Jadis Jones, to hire not just a travel agent, but a business manager, as well.

Summer school was in session at a back gymnasium on the Sikeston High School campus on Thursday, and Bulldog junior-to-be Trace Sadler was immersed in some serious studying and learning.

After going through the recruiting process, Cape Central’s Cam Williams decided where he will play college basketball. Williams announced that he will play at Moberly Area Community College in Moberly, Missouri. “When I went on a visit I met all the coaches and players,” Williams said. “I just felt like it was a great fit for me. I connected with coach (Smith) really well and a lot of the players that will be coming back. I just really liked the school out of all the ones I went and visited.”...

KENNETT – Dexter graduate and former North Pemiscot coach Erika Cobb will fulfill a personal goal in taking over the Kennett High School girls basketball team as head coach this year. “I'm super excited to be here in Kennett, and I'm really excited to work with the girls,” Cobb said. “All of the girls have been eager to learn, and they're all working hard. As long as they carry it into the season, I really believe we'll be competitive.”...

CHARLESTON, Mo. — Amidst the bright light and big names of the college basketball world, Rico Coleman has chosen a different path. By signing on with Arkansas State University-Newport, a school with no athletic history to speak of, the Charleston star is venturing into uncharted territory...

The summer portion of the schedule for the Saxony Lutheran Crusaders has been heavily focused on how they will make up for losing seniors Aaron Zoellner, Max Richey and Landon Ochs. The Crusaders will return starters John Hartmann and Luke Eggemeyer, who will see an increase in responsibility in 2023-24...

KENNETT – Former Kennett High School basketball standout Fred Garmon may have graduated in 2011, but in the years since he competed on the same black and gold court on which he will now coach, he never walked away from the game. Having touched the lives and built up the athletic skills of many student athletes around Southeast Missouri in the meantime, Garmon has now been named the new KHS boys basketball head coach, taking over for Noll Billings...

SIKESTON — In the rolling hills of southeast Missouri, where the Mississippi River winds its way through sleepy towns and fertile farmland, a legend lives on. Lennies McFerren is a trailblazer, the first black high school basketball coach in southeast Missouri and across a wide stretch of land from St. Louis to Memphis when he took over the Charleston Bluejays program in 1977...

As summer scrimmages continue across the region, the Notre Dame Bulldogs are taking advantage of every opportunity they can get. With coach Jeremy Brinkmeyer returning home to coach the Bulldogs, they are using this time to all get familiar with each other...

The Jackson Indians boys’ basketball team has searched near and far for competition, traveling from Tennessee to southwest Missouri looking to up the ante against strong competition from all around the region. On Tuesday and Wednesday, however, the competition comes to them. An assortment of southeast Missouri basketball teams play host to teams from across the river in the Heartland Shootout at the Cape Girardeau SportsPlex...

CARDWELL – Southland High School alumni and former assistant Tyre Washington has been named head coach of the Southland boys basketball team. Washington graduated from Southland in 2006, and he came back home last year under first year coach Steve Richey. Before coming to Southland, Richey had spent 34 years coaching in Arkansas. This year, he'll return to the Natural State to coach at Cave City...

CHARLESTON – For Portageville High School 2023 senior athletes Trey Benthal and Thomas Frakes, playing a summer league baseball game for the Southeast Tropics and Charleston Fighting Squirrels, respectively, on Tuesday at Hillhouse Park in Charleston was a bit of a relief. Particularly, in light of what the two had just wrapped up in their high school athletic careers.

The Oak Ridge boys' basketball team went from winning a combined 15 games in 2021 and 2022 to winning 21 games this past season. It was the most amount of wins in a single season for the Blue Jays since going 23-6 in 2011. The Blue Jays will have to learn quickly to move on from the priceless production they received from graduating senior Camren Volz. Fortunately for them, they have the summer to work on filling the void...

While still nearly half a year removed from tipping off the 2023-24 season, the work continued for a handful of local boys’ basketball teams as Chaffee hosted its annual Chaffee Varsity Summer Shootout this week. From Monday through Wednesday, Chaffee hosted the varsity squads of East Prairie, St. Vincent, Oak Ridge, Perryville, Kelly, Meadow Heights, Woodland and Scott County Central as well as a handful of junior varsity teams as well...

The Twin Rivers girls basketball team has a new leader after a Michael Snider was named head coach of the squad on Thursday. Snider, a 2013 graduate of TRHS, has spent the last few years as the Holcomb boys basketball head coach as well as the baseball coach for the last two seasons...

Deep in the heart of Marquand, Missouri, a small remote town with a population of 200 people, lies a rectangular patch of concrete, two hoops, and one basketball. Aidan Homan grew up on that concrete draining shots and killing time until his parents came home from running their trucking business...

It was announced on Wednesday morning that Jeremy Brinkmeyer would be the new head coach of the Notre Dame Bulldogs boys' basketball program. Brinkmeyer is stepping in after Paul Unterreiner announced he was stepping down after nine seasons at the helm of the program...

East Carter’s Kasen McCarty signed his letter of intent last week to continue his athletic and academic career at Crowley’s Ridge College. McCarty will play basketball for the Pioneers. CRC went 10-19 last season and finished 6-7 in the Continental Athletic Conference. East Carter head coach Jordan Penn said McCarty was a great player for the Redbirds his last two seasons...

SIKESTON. – The conclusion of this spring sports season will mark the end of an era for two Sikeston assistant coaches. Two staples on the sidelines, Alan Scheeter and Chris Sarakas, are retiring from education, and with that retirement, they will be taking a wealth of knowledge and experience that will be difficult to replace...