1995

WEEK OF (-

·Doormat East Central welcomes Coats' return By Lee Baker Clarion-ledger Staff Writer

Holmes coach Bennie Kimble.said. "We're just getting the most out '·of what we've got." Holmes has seven victories by 5 or fewer points. Women'• ba•ketball: Coahom– a, Northeast and Northwes(~ to be perhaps the North Divf, ' 's best, while Co-Lin, Pea rl tver, East Central and Jones could be tops in the South. · h , Jones faces Co-Lin ne~ • • Pearl River next Th~· :: East Central and Holmes · · "This is the toughest p .~ur schedule," coach Katie HerHliiton said. ·: . · ·.

JUNIOR COLLEGES Meanwhile, P earl River presi– dent Ted Alexander hopes to have a new coach in place by Feb. 21. Men'• basketball: Jones County was ranked 12th nationallywith a 15- 1 record before Thursday night's home game against East Central, fol– lowed by a Saturday game at Holmes. Guard-oriented Holmes was 12-3 and contending for national consid– eration before Thursday's ltawam– ba trip. Russell Evans, a 6-2 fresh– man guard from Cant on, leads Holmes with 14.8 scoring and 7.2 re– bounding averages. Steven Newby, a 6-4 sophomore guard from Grena– da (Kirk Academy), scores at 11.5 makin g 40 percent of his 3-point tries. " If we had a big scorer inside, someone 6-7 or 6-8, we'd be good,"

A surprisingmove took place this week when Willie Coats left the head coaching position a t Pearl River for East Central. Coats emerged from a list of 27 applicants for the job. Nine candi– dates interviewed with East Central president Eddie Miller. Pearl R iver, Mississippi's first junior college dating to 1921, bas 415 wins, 191losses and 23 ties for a 70-percent success rate in 74 years offootball. When you con sider that East Central struggles season after sea– son to reach .500- t he Warriors were 2-8 in 1994, 1-8-1 in 1993 and 1-9 in 1992 - Coats' decision is all the more stunning. Coats,whowent 28-13 in four sea– sons a t Pearl River, returns to fa– miliar territory. He served as assis– tant football and h ead baseball coach at East Central from 1970-76 before moving to Decatur High for two years as bead football coach and athletic director. One factor may be the fact Coats' wife, Lula, is from the Newton County area. He'll also be near two of his four children. Son Timmy works an assistant football coach at Newton High, and Patti is an ele– mentary school teacher in Decatur. Another daughter, Kristi, plays on the LPGA Tour.

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