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franklin county times

MCC ready for string of home games

By Staff
From Staff Reports
Jan. 1, 2002
After playing on the road for most of the first-half of the season the men's and women's basketball teams of Meridian Community College will play a majority of their January games at home.
Six of the nine January games for the MCC men will be at the Ivy Sports Center, while the women will play five of their seven scheduled games on their home court.
The men return to action on Monday when Alabama Southern pays a visit for a 7 p.m. game, while the women begin play on Jan. 10 when the Eagles and Lady Eagles travel to Scooba to face East Mississippi Community College.
After hosting Shelton State on Jan. 12 and visiting Mary Holmes for their Miss-Lou Conference opener on Jan. 15, MCC has four straight home dates.
The men and women host Southwest Tennessee on Jan. 19, Northeast Mississippi on Jan. 22 and Miss-Lou Conference foe Southern Shreveport on Jan. 26, while the women squeeze in a game with Wallace-Hanceville on Jan. 24.
Then, after the men travel to Ellisville to take on Jones County on Jan. 28, there are five more straight home dates. For the women it means eight consecutive home games, while the men will play five-of-six at home.
Austin Bishop
Eaton selected to NJCAA Hall of Fame
Former Itawamba Community College head football coach Mike Eaton is one of eight men inducted into the 2001 National Junior College Athletic Association's Hall of Fame.
Eaton posted a 111-64-7 record at Itawamba from 1974-92. The Indians were North Division champions eight times and played in four bowl games. They won state championships in 1975, 1977, and 1990.
Among those selected for their contributions to junior college football is D.O. "Bud" Thoms of Jones. He attended Jones from January 1936 through May 1938. For 50 years, Thoms served on the JCJC Board of Trustees, the final 28 as chairman. The football facilities at Ellisville were greatly enhanced as a result of Thoms' interest in the program. These improvements include a new field house, bleachers and lighting for the football field, and the organization of a booster club.
Marty Stamper
Bama already loses one commitment
With NCAA sanctions looming, the University of Alabama has already lost one of its 2001 football commitments as Southwest Mississippi Community College defensive tackle Demarcus Johnson (6-3, 275) has changed his mind and signed with the University of Central Florida instead. Johnson is from Tallahassee, Fla.
Marty Stamper
Buccaneers off to good start
The Shelton State Community College Buccaneers improved to 6-1 at the Christmas break with a 99-81 victory over Northwest Shoals.
The Lady Buccaneers recently participated in the Lady Saluqi Classic at Memphis, losing 85-83 to Southwest Tennessee Community College before crushing Dyersburg (Tenn.) Community College 90-36 in their second game. The Lady Buccaneers were 5-4 after knocking off Dyersburg. Southwest Tennessee participated in the NJCAA Women's National Tournament in March.
The Shelton teams will play at Meridian Community College on Jan. 12.
Marty Stamper
Still up in the clouds
The Cloud County (Kan.) Community College women's basketball team won the NJCAA championship at Salina, Kan., last March and are off to a 12-2 start this season.
The Thunderbirds recently played three games in the Pepsi National "Best in the U.S." Tournament at Ocala, Fla., where they picked up their second loss, losing to Central Florida Community College in the second round.
Their first loss was to Fort Scott (Kan.) Community College.
Also in the Florida tournament from last year's national championship tournament were Cincinnati (Ohio) State and Louisburg (N.C.) Community College.
The Cloud T-Birds are again led by guard Miklannet Tennal, who is averaging 20.6 points and has made 83.6 percent of her free throws (56 of 67).
Cloud has added 6-foot-2 freshman center Milena Ninkovic of Belgrade, Yugoslavia. Ninkovic is averaging 17.4 points.
Marty Stamper
No North/South tourneys
Unlike in the previous years, there will be no North and South Division basketball tournaments this season.
The top four teams from each division will meet for the state tournament at the site of the top North Division men's team, Feb. 25-28.
Heading into 2002, the Pearl River Lady Wildcats lead the South Division women's race with a 2-0 league mark. East Central and Copiah-Lincoln are both 1-0. Jones and Southwest Mississippi are both 1-1, while Gulf Coast and Hinds are both 0-2.
The South men's league has a two-way tie at the top as both Hinds and Gulf Coast are 2-0. Jones and Southwest are both 1-1. East Central and Co-Lin are both 0-1, while Pearl River brings up the rear at 0-2.
Itawamba and Northeast lead the North women with 2-0 division marks. Northwest and Holmes are both 1-1. East Mississippi and Mississippi Delta are both 0-1, while Coahoma is 0-2.
The Itawamba Indians lead the North men's league with a 2-0 division record. Delta is second at 1-0. Northwest, Northeast, and Holmes are tied for third with 1-1 marks. East Mississippi is 0-1, while Coahoma is 0-2.
The Region 23 Tournament is set for March 4-7 at Mississippi College. The East Central women and Northwest men are the defending champions.
Marty Stamper
Locals playing for Northeast
The Northeast Mississippi Community College rosters both sport a pair of area hoopsters.
Jennifer Scott, a 5-foot-7 freshman guard from York, Ala., plays for the 3-4 Lady Tigers, while Jeremy Law, a 6-foot-2 freshman guard from York, plays for the Tigers. Law prepped at Sumter County High School.
Marty Stamper
No dark cloud at the free-throw line
In winning the NJCAA women's national championship last March, the Cloud County (Kan.) Community College Thunderbirds showed they were very adept at making free throws.
In fact, for the year, the T-Birds' 74.6 percent showing at the charity stripe is the third highest in NJCAA women's history.
The T-Birds were the first Division I juco team from Kansas to win a national championship. Their 31 wins last season set a school record.
Marty Stamper
MCC opens baseball season on Feb. 9
The Meridian Community College Eagles host Wallace-Hanceville in a doubleheader at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 9.
MCC then travels to Hanceville the next day to return the favor with another doubleheader.
Austin Bishop

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