By Josh Troy
Clarksdale Advocate
The Coahoma Community College men’s basketball team advanced to the Region 23 semifinals in Dell Cannon’s second season as head coach, but the goal is to win a championship.
“Hard work breeds success,” said Cannon, reflecting on the past two seasons. “Not just working hard, but you’ve got to be consistent, and I think what we’ve done has been consistent. We’ve put in the proper work, and everything else just falls into place.”
Guard Bentavious Galmore, a Coahoma County High School graduate, also helped the Tigers advance to the semifinals. Galmore, currently a junior, will be playing for Delta State University in 2023-24.
As Cannon heads into his third year at the helm of the Tigers in the upcoming 2023-24 season, guard Amarion Hoggan from Holmes Central High School, guard Dontae Prescott from Our Saviour Lutheran High School in Brooklyn, NY, guard and forward Korea McKay II from Clarksdale High School, and forward Jaqai Murray from Victory Collegiate High School in Brooklyn, NY, will all be returning sophomores.
Some of the freshman spots on the 2023-24 roster have not been determined.
“We’re going to have a ways to go when everybody gets back to school for the fall,” Cannon said. “Low and behold, once it’s all said and done, we’ll be alright.”
Cannon talked about what he believed it would take to get over the hump and win a championship.
“It’s going to be exciting times,” he said. “Coahoma basketball is getting to the point where we want to be. We’re still not there. We still have ways to go. When it’s all said and done, we want to be the champions. So, we haven’t made that yet, but we’re on our way.
“It takes a lot to go in that pot. It takes a lot of grits to go in that pot to win a championship. Quite naturally, I keep saying it, but hard work, consistent dedication actually have got to go in there. But, most of all, they’ve got to be eligible, so getting our academics is the No. 1 thing.”
Cannon said the men’s basketball team has a 100% graduation rate for the last two years.
When it is all said and done, Cannon expects the Tigers to be able to play different styles of basketball.
“I think we’ll be able to do a little bit of this, a little bit of that,” he said. “It depends on the circumstances, the opponent. Once we watch film and come up with a game plan, we’ll go from there.”
Cannon said every conference opponent is on the “hit list” for the Tigers to beat.
“The ones we haven’t beat, they’re definitely on the list,” he said.
The Tigers won six games in conference play last season before advancing to the Region 23 semifinals. They defeated East Central Community College, Hinds Community College, Northwest Mississippi Community College, Jones College, Mississippi Delta Community College, and Pearl River Community College during the 2022-23 regular season.
The Tigers lost to Itawamba Community College, Meridian Community College, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Southwest Mississippi Community College, East Mississippi Community College, Holmes Community College, Copiah-Lincoln Community College, and Northeast Mississippi Community College.
However, CCC won at Itawamba Community College and Southwest Mississippi Community College during the playoffs to advance to the semifinals.
Cannon said he is looking forward to playing on the new basketball court recently installed in The Pinnacle.
“It’s beautiful,” he said. “Upgrading the floor in The Pinnacle added a lot of flavor, a lot of wow factor. We have a lot of upgrades that are going to happen. It takes time. We need the community support, the alumni support. With a lot of support, we can get a lot done. A lot of talk doesn’t solve anything, but a lot of support, a lot of donations, a lot of things can happen. Coahoma is beautiful, but we have to help keep it beautiful.”
Cannon said the court will not impact CCC from an athletic standpoint, but it could benefit the recruiting process.
“X’s and O’s, it doesn’t matter where the court is at,” he said. “It can be in Beijing, China, or somewhere in the United States. Basketball is basketball, so everybody’s floor doesn’t look the same. That doesn’t help you win or lose. It looks good and it attracts. It’s a recruiting tool.”
Cannon is looking forward to the upcoming 2023-24 athletic season.
“Come out and support men’s and women’s basketball, all sports at Coahoma,” he said.
