The Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) and the Mississippi Association of Coaches (MAC) have teamed up with C Spire to create the Mr. and Miss Basketball awards, which will be announced prior to the start of the MHSAA basketball playoff quarterfinals in February.
“This is a fantastic opportunity to recognize outstanding student-athletes who perform at a high level and represent their respective schools and our state so well,” said MHSAA Executive Director Rickey Neaves. “We look forward to the process of selecting and presenting these awards, and we appreciate the continued support of C Spire in helping make this possible.”
Ceremonial presentations for the award winners will take place during the state championship games at the Mississippi Coliseum (March 2-4) and during a special awards luncheon in the MHSAA Conference Center the week following the championships. The selection process will include representatives from the MAC committee, coaches throughout the state, and members of state-wide media. Criteria will include on-court performance as well as being a good teammate, displaying sportsmanship, and conducting oneself with integrity.
“The MAC appreciates the willingness of our coaches and their time in assisting with this important award process,” said Johnny Mims, Executive Director of the MAC. “Additionally, this award has finally become a reality through the support of C Spire and Orien Watson, and we are thankful for the relationship we have that makes this award possible.”
One Mr. Basketball and one Miss Basketball will be selected from each MHSAA classification with the selections being based on the regular-season body of work. Winners will be recognized on court at the state championships prior to the start of each respective championship game.
“The Starting 5 in the Southern 6”
It’s Week six of our “Starting 5 in the Southern 6” presented by 228 Sports.com in which each week throughout the rest of the prep basketball season we will highlight five individual performances from the following week as well as five upcoming games that week in our area to keep an eye on. You readers can help us out by sending us stats on your favorite players from the previous weeks’ games on our “228Sport” Facebook page as well as at “228Sports” on Twitter. We will consider all of those recommendations as we choose our “Starting 5 in the Southern 6” each week.
Players:
- Addison Rainey, Ocean Springs: Now in its 38th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, Gatorade recently announced Addison Rainey of Ocean Springs High School as the 2022-23 Gatorade Mississippi Girls Cross Country Player of the Year. Rainey is the first Gatorade Mississippi Girls Cross Country Player of the Year to be chosen from Ocean Springs High School. The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Rainey as Mississippi’s best high school girls cross country player. She is also now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Girls Cross Country Player of the Year award.
- Alexander Mink, Long Beach: Mink was named the Most Valuable Player in the boys’ Class 5A state championship match Saturday as he scored the lone goal in a 1-0 win over Lafayette to give the Bearcats their third straight state title.
- Aiden Boudro, Bay High: Boudro earned Mos Valuable Player honors as the Tigers erased the sting of a loss in the 2022 title game by beating North Pontotoc 2-0 in the boys’ Class 4A state soccer championship match Saturday. Boudro scored one of the Tigers’ two goals, as Bay High won just its seond state title in school history and the first in 10 years.
- Bella Jordan, St. Patrick: Jordan scored a pair of goals in a winning effort as St. Patrick ripped Tupelo Christian 6-0 to win the girls’ Class 1 Soccer Championship Saturday in Ridgeland. Jordan and her teammates beat their playoff foes Southeast Lauderdale, Loyd Star, Our Lady Academy and Tupelo Christian by a combined score of 26-1 in the postseason.
- Linda Mustered, St. Patrick: Musterd also scored a pair of goals for St. Patrick Saturday in the Class I girls’ state soccer championship game. For her efforts, Musterd was named the Most Valuable Player in the match. With the win, St. Patrick capped a truly remarkable season as they finished with a record of 18-1 and out-scored their opponents 81-9 in the process.
Games
- Biloxi girls vs. Hancock (Monday)
- Ocean Springs girls vs, Pascagoula (Monday)
- Long Beach girls vs. Pearl River Central (Monday)
- Gulfport boys vs. Harrison Central (Tuesday)
- Bay high boys vs. Moss Point (Wednesday)
