I’m 1 of the few full-time sports reporters left in Mississippi. And I need your help.
Sports writing can be lonely in Mississippi.
I started my journalism career in Hattiesburg in 1999. Now, I’m the lone full-time sports writer for a daily newspaper south of my birthplace, Jackson. I primarily cover Southern Miss and high school preps and travel countless miles to tell stories, from Bay St. Louis to Hattiesburg to Lucedale and everywhere in between.
With the COVID-19 pandemic pausing sports and cutting seasons short, I’ve recently been tasked with more news reporting. Instead of covering what was supposed to be the fourth consecutive Conference USA baseball tournament in Biloxi last week, my days were filled with writing about Gov. Tate Reeves’ daily coronavirus press conferences and tracking down breaking news.
While I’m up for whatever role I’m asked to fill, I know sports will return, and I hope to be there to tell those compelling stories that Sun Herald readers have come to expect from us.
Newspapers face uncertainty. Publications have been shut down across the country, and reporters have been furloughed or laid off. COVID-19 presents possibly the biggest threat the industry has seen up to this point.
We need your help to make sure that the Sun Herald survives this crisis so I can continue to tell South Mississippi’s story from the sports angle. You can make a tax-deductive donation through our Givebutter campaign here.
I’ve been there every step along the way
Following a brief stint in news, I got back into sports writing in 2006. From that point forward, it’s been one big blur of press conferences, deadlines, memorable games, feature stories and far too much tragedy.
I was in the press box in Houston in 2011 when the Southern Miss football team beat the No. 6 Cougars 49-28 in the Conference USA championship.
As the Southern Miss baseball team climbed to national relevance, I chronicled the College World Series run in 2009 and a long list of NCAA regionals. I’ll never forget the 5,300 people who came to watch the 2017 C-USA title game at MGM Park or the double-relay to home plate that clinched the 2016 championship for the Golden Eagles at Pete Taylor Park.
From Michael Gilbert’s nearly miraculous return to the baseball field after a head injury, to the Golden Eagles’ run to the CWS, there has never been a lack in storylines to follow at USM.
Telling South Mississippi’s stories of victory and loss
The most compelling stories go well beyond wins and defeats.
On the high school scene, the stories I’ve covered have ranged from triumphs on the field to tragedies in players’ communities.
I stood in the locker room underneath War Memorial Stadium as Pascagoula coach Lewis Sims addressed a team mourning the deaths of two teammates, senior defensive back Brandon Rich and sophomore linebacker Caleb Sweeten, in a water skiing accident on the Pascagoula River in May 2013.
In November 2015, I was on the sideline at Pascagoula when players first found out their former teammate, Keith Joseph Jr., who was in his freshman year at Mississippi State, and his father, who was also a standout at PHS and MSU, died in a single-vehicle accident on their way to that night’s game.
That’s a moment seared in my memory — players from both teams, Pascagoula and Gautier, sobbing uncontrollably as they were still gathered on the field.
The thrill of victory
The one game I’ve covered that best sums up what’s right about high school sports was the 2017 Class 4A South State title game, which was dubbed the “Hornet Bowl.” A pair of undefeated football teams, Poplarville and East Central, did battle in front of a packed stadium at Poplarville.
A six-touchdown performance by Tony Brown and another raucous celebration led by head coach Seth Smith proved to be the high point of what was a special season at East Central.
That year’s Hornet Bowl will be fondly remembered in Hurley. Smith’s openhearted speech after a loss to Noxubee County in the state title game will stay with each of his players for the rest of their lives.
I was also honored to cover Smith’s father-in-law, Picayune head coach Dodd Lee, as he wrapped up his legendary career with a run to the Class 5A state title game this past season. No coach got more out of his players than Lee.
I was there when Lee’s Maroon Tide won the 2013 Class 5A title and many other championships, including Gulfport boys basketball, Harrison Central softball, Vancleave baseball and Bay High girls basketball.
Documenting the Coast’s legends
One of the more enjoyable parts of my job has been watching emerging talents on the high school level, including girls hoops stars like Harrison Central product Jazzmun Holmes or Christa Reed at Bay High.
Devin Booker’s final two seasons as a member of the Moss Point boys basketball team gave everybody on the Coast a glimpse of greatness.
My first look at Booker was a 48-point performance as a junior that instantly showed me he was destined for big time basketball as a 6-foot-6 guard who could shoot the lights out.
While interviewing the opposing coach that night, I pointed out, “I guess there isn’t much you can do when he does that.”
The coach responded, “Who’s he?”
Booker played one season at Kentucky after being recruited by every major program in the country and is now one of the NBA’s rising stars. He also may be dating one of the world’s most famous women, Kendall Jenner.
Eight years later, I think he’s made a name for himself.
I need your help
One handy tip I was given several years ago is to avoid using “I” when writing a column, but in this instance there’s no getting around it.
I’m asking for your help.
We at the Sun Herald hope to continue to fill the key role of keeping everyone informed about the COVID-19 pandemic in South Mississippi.
Advertising dollars have dried up with the coronavirus impacting all segments of the economy. You can help by subscribing to the Sun Herald’s digital and print editions, but we’re asking for a lift from our community that will allow us to steer clear of the worst of the crisis.
We all want life to return to normal and I look forward to the day when my time is spent finding stories about the Coast’s next big star or breaking down Southern Miss football.
With a contribution to our COVID-19 Local News Fund through a Givebutter campaign, you can make sure the Sun Herald staff will be there to serve South Mississippi throughout the pandemic, and once we reach the other side.
This story was originally published May 26, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
