The Jackson State Tigers had a solid season in the SWAC that culminated in a trip to the conference championship game. The Tigers lost a heartbreaker to Alcorn State but Coach Paul Covington is not losing much talent from his roster and wants a redux.  Like Payton and his younger brother Eddie Jackson State is a family setting with many siblings coming here year after year.  The basketball team defines this as Covington has not one but two sets of brothers on his roster and all four made contributions to this team last season.  The irony here is that the two sets of brothers both played the same position with one brother backing up the other.  If you have ever had a sibling you understand sibling rivalry and how crazy that can get.  That’s pretty dang good coaching to pull that off without having brawls after every game in the locker room. This group of Tigers has all of their key players returning and should be the favorite to win the SWAC this year. 

Coach Covington’s team from Mississippi was up and down most of the year.  They had the talent to compete with most of the teams they played.  They had the unfortune of not being able to close games and lost several close decisions to teams from bigger conferences.  

The leader for the Tigers is junior Eugene Short at least going into last year. Short is a unique player in that he can score just as easily form the paint as he can from the perimeter.  A great jump shot and a desire to score gives this kid from Hattiesburg the type of game that is pro ready.  At six foot six Short has extremely long arms and used them to get off his picture perfect jump shot or sky above opponents for easy baskets in the paint.  He has carried the offensive load in Jackson since he got here twoyears ago and does not mind being the go to guy.  Short can also play defense and board with those long arms but Covington keeps him at the wings most of the time which is his best fit as he is not suited to getting beat up in the paint in this extremely physical league filled with huge brutes in the paint.  He will be one fabulous small forward for some lucky pro team who are already sending scouts to the SWAC to watch him play.  The pros will have to wait until Short finishes what he set out to do coming to Jackson and that is get his team to a post season tournament.  Gene’s younger brother Purvis started this year backing up his older brother but that quickly changed.  Covington realized that these were his best two offensive players on the team and though both are really small forwards he had to get them on the court together as much as possible.  Odd thing is Purvis has turned into an even better offensive player than Gene.  Covington played them next to each other for some of the year in a double wing set and boy did it help the offense.  But neither one of these guys is quick enough to guard shooting guards or big enough to guard power forwards so Covington had to make a decision. In the second half of the year he moved big brother Gene to the bench as a super sub for instant offense off the bench. He did not like this at all at first (he actually went AWOL for a few games which was really just hiding out in his room with depression) but he did come back and accepted his role.  It sure helped the team as having someone who can score like this off the bench is huge but being the older brother and getting beat out by your younger sibling has got to hurt.  I bet Easter sure was fun in the Short house this year.  

That younger brother is a fantabulous basketball player.  He grew up idolizing his older brother Gene and though he got recruited by over 150 programs he still chose to follow in his footsteps and go to JSU.  He did not mind backing up his brother as he was still the second option for the Tigers and putting up double figures in points and knew he had a bright future if he could get some recognition.  His brother got the scouts to come see him but of course once they got a glimpse at this kid’s ‘rainbows’ they came back to see him.  And though he might have been a little sheepish when Covington if you ever had an older brother than you know (think driveway wars to the death) Purvis loved every minute of beating out his big brother.  Purvis has one of the best jump shots ever with it’s unusually high arc comes down like a feather when it lands on the rim and he always get the nice bounce.  He has taken his game outside the arc but is more comfortable mid-range.  Purvis can also get to the hoop and draw harm and will finish when he gets his chance.  He can board but like his brother Covington kept these two away from the dirty work as much as possible as he plenty of other guys who could do the hard hat work.  And not just anybody can put the ball in the hoop like Purvis can.  He was the best offensive player not only on the Tigers but in the entire SWAC and earned his first team recognition.  Like his brother Purvis can pass as well.  Covington loves having either one of them ISO from the side (his matchup with ISO Joe of Arkansas was classic) and the distribute off the double teams in half court sets.  Even with his limited defensive ability (and desire) there is no doubt that this kid will play at the next level after next year but he and his brother have some unfinished business in Jackson.  That is if they survive the off season battles in the driveway?  

 As stated above most of the key Tigers will be coming back this year but one, big Cornell Warner might be the most important including the Short brothers as obviously they are somewhat interchangeable..  A powerful mass of humanity, Warner is the muscle of this team which is needed in a league as tough as the SWAC.  Another Jackson product (JSU recruits almost completely out of Mississippi and primarily Jackson) played both post positions and loved mixing it up with the Reeds and Beatty’s he had to go against.  A terrific board man, Warner led a group of seniors who all loved to bang underneath.  Cleveland Buckner, Ed Manning, McCoy Ingram and A.W. Holt give Warner ample support in the trenches underneath as Covington is not shy at throwing around big bodies and fouls.  Jackson State is not lacking in muscle.  Buckner is a solid offensive guy down low but is limited defensively but did have some big games for the Tigers.  Manning is solid and can play both forwards and is smart but not quite as thick as his teammates.  Ingram and Holt gave way and spent most of their last year on the bench as another sibling rivalry took over one of the post positions. 

Not exactly Dave and Ray Davies or even the infamous fighting Gallaghers, the Brothers Norris have had a few throwdowns in the WAC (Williams Assembly Center) during practice and even once during a game last year.  Older brother Sylvester did not like what young Audie was doing on the weakside defense and let him know and the fists were flying.  Both sat out a few games as Covington will have none of that.  Both are coming back this year though there was some doubt about Sylvester and that should be huge for the Tigers future.  Junior Sylvester and Sophomore Audie are solid big men who can really play but have different styles and strengths though both play center.  Sylvester is more of a shot blocker and his potential is as high as the sky.  At six foot eleven and 220 he takes up space and is a good intimidator but like Gene got passed up by his younger brother on the food chart.  Audie is more of a space eater and got big minutes for the Tigers and produced solid numbers.  He started next to Warner for most of the year as the two wreaked havoc down low with their ability to bang and board all night long.  Norris is a much better offensive player than Sylvester as he has a little baby hook and at six nine and 230 is not small.  Those two wide bodies did most of the dirty work that you have to do down low in this league to survive.   Both should start and their ability to play together (they do match up well with Norris being a more natural power forward than center) will probably be the key to the team’s success.  These Jackson natives are huge fan favorites and the Tiger faithful want them to play together and Covington obviously does not have as much depth up front as he has this year.  Sophomore Lester Fonville has the size (seven two and about 260) to be dominant and he does block shots but is a true project on the offensive end.  He could improve but has a long way to go but like they say you can’t teach size.  Freshman Dwayne Whitfield has the size (and some skill) to help out up front but needs minutes and should get more this year. 

As you can see there is plenty of beef and talent up front but the reason the Tigers did not get to roar in the post season last year was due to the pedestrian back court.  There is a group coming back but Covington has made it clear that there will be an open battle for spots going as far to steal a kid from rival Alcorn State before he could even enroll.  Covington is serious about finding some guards as he knows the rest of his lineup is ready to roll.  The only Seniors to get any real time on the perimeters were Lou Herndon and Jerry Yarbrough.  Yarbrough began the year as the starter and this kid can score but Covington wanted more athleticism and the bigger wing Herndon took over. Yarbrough accepted his role but did come in and have a few big games off the pine but might have a hard time getting on the court this year.  Herndon has size at six four and can shoot but he will be challenged as well as there are some ridiculous athletes on this roster on the wing.   A pair of juniors have been dominating JV the last two years and are ready for prime time.  Henry Ward and Alphonse Smith are as athletic of a combo as there is in the league and that is saying something with all the jumping jacks in the SWAC.  Ward goes 6’4 and has a 42 inch vertical and jumped center on the JV and can flat fly.  His nickname is High Henry and it has nothing to do with any medicinal lettuce as this kid supposedly can grab a quarter off the top of the backboard.  His skills are limited thus the two years on JV but Covington has to find a way to get him in the lineup.  Smith is a bit bigger at 6’6 (6’8 with his afro) and almost as athletic.  He has developed quicker and led the JV in scoring for the whole SWAC league at over 20 a game.  These guys have been stuck behind the Short brothers but this is their year and supposedly Covington is doubling down with another pair of incoming freshmen who can also flat fly on the wing. Covington also used some funky lineups trying to get the Short brothers on the court at the same time.  The Tigers are not just talented on the wing but deep and athletic but they do have one big weakness on the perimeter.  Somebody to run the show and get these tremendous studs the ball.  

Junior Glendale Jones and sophomore Tyrone Kidd split the point guard position for most of last year.  Jones is a true point guard who can flat distribute the ball (he is a way better assist man than Kidd) and defend. Kidd is a terrific shooter from behind the arc and this team needs more of that.   Neither is a world class talent but they combined to be a solid pair though Covington will make this an open competition.  Whoever wins this spot between this duo and the incoming freshmen and how well they play will almost undoubtedly decide how far this team goes this season.  That is a lot of pressure in Jackson.      

The Jackson State Tigers are a program that has solid coaching, great size, unique symmetry and most importantly a group of talented players.  Superstar brother Purvis and Eugene Short should make the tigers the favorite in the SWAC.  Coach Paul Covington knows he has to get better in the back court but has plundered rival the Alcorn State Braves. He stole not one but two studs who decided to come home to Jackson after enrolling at Davey Whitney’s league championship program but it’s not like he hasn’t stole a few players himself.     One thing this team is not lacking is brotherly love.  How many other teams boast two brother combos who both have a significant impact on their team?   So goes the Short’s and Norris’s so goes the Tigers. Last year these guys got close to where they want to be and with their superior Junior Class all becoming Seniors this should be the Tigers year.  But if I had a dollar for every should be!!! 

I’m going to Jackson
I’m going to mess around
Yeah, I’m going to Jackson
Look out Jackson town!