Basketball season is in full swing throughout Mississippi, with high school team rankings getting more serious as the season winds down. But amid these heated high school competitions, even the best basketball fans across the Magnolia State often overlook the hard work, dedication, and pure excitement of Mississippi’s younger middle school athletes.
For those unaware, the Mississippi Middle School Invitational Tournament begins Friday, January 17, 2025, with subsequent weekend games running through February 1. This series of basketball games starts with 48 middle school teams from across Mississippi vying for the top championship spot.
South Pontotoc Middle School won the 2024 Girls’ Invitational Tournament Championship, while DeSoto Central Middle School garnered the 2024 Boys’ Invitational Tournament Championship. Both of these teams are returning to defend their titles in the 2025 playoff games, which will take place at various community colleges throughout the state.
In fact, the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) selected ten of our state’s community college campuses as host sites for this year’s six rounds of middle school championship action:
Itawamba Community College – (Rounds 1 and 2)
Mississippi Delta Community College – (Rounds 1 and 2)
Hinds Community College – (Rounds 1 and 2)
East Central Community College – (Rounds 1 and 2)
Holmes Community College – (Rounds 1 and 2)
Jones College – (Rounds 1, 2, 3, and 4)
Southwest Mississippi Community College – (Rounds 1, 2, 3, and 4)
Northeast Mississippi Community College – (Rounds 3 and 4)
Meridian Community College – (Rounds 3 and 4)
East Mississippi Community College – (Rounds1, 2, 5, and 6)
Keep in mind that middle school athletes, boys and girls alike, are often more limited in their practice time and funding. But these middle school programs are the building blocks for high school competitions, as well as collegiate programs across the nation. Since many of our state’s youth are not able to participate in travel teams or even community basketball leagues, middle school basketball games mark the first time some of these young athletes get to play the sport they love in true competition in front of live crowds.
Honestly, middle school is sometimes the place where athletic dreams are born and bred. So, go out and support these teams over the next three weekends. Your time and attention can mean so much to these middle school players. Your support could even make a difference in whether they keep playing throughout their high school years.
Plus, if I am not mistaken, Devin Booker, Monta Ellis, Al Jefferson, and a whole host of other basketball greats got their starts on some of Mississippi’s middle school basketball teams. So, who knows! You might get the chance to see some of our nation’s future collegiate and professional basketball players.
Check out the brackets for the 2025 Mississippi Middle School Invitational Tournaments here:
Girls’ Bracket – https://www.misshsaa.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/MHSAA-Middle-School-Basketball-2025-BRACKETS-GIRLS-asof011025.pdf
Boys” Bracket – https://www.misshsaa.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/MHSAA-Middle-School-Basketball-2025-BRACKETS-BOYS-asof011025.pdf
