Columbus basketball looking to stay at the top

The Falcons are currently ranked number one in 6A headed into the playoffs.

It’s no secret that the Columbus Falcons have grown into one of the top teams in all of Mississippi high school basketball. Ranked number one in 6A, they’ve made a name for themselves through some big wins and some significant ones over other top teams. In fact, when you look at their schedule as a whole, it can be seen as one of the best in the state. If you ask head coach Phillip Morris, he would also agree with that sentiment.

“I think we may have the strongest strength of schedule in the state, besides maybe one or two other teams. We want to be battle-tested. We know what we have to do to be able to win a championship,” said Morris. “You have to have those games that get you ready for that late stretch in the playoffs. We’ve been trying to play the best teams that we can this year especially, because we think we have the team that can make that run down the stretch.”

The Falcons currently sit at 19-3 with an undefeated district record, led by some flashy moves and high-flying dunks on the court. However, they also boast some senior leadership both on and off the court that has helped the team gel into what it’s become at this point in the season.

Jace O’Neal and Marius Mosley are great examples of that leadership, according to Morris. He defines them as guys who are constantly working in practice and whose efforts show up on game day. They know that it’s not an easy task to be the top dog, playing on a team ranked number one. Regardless, they continue to put in the work while also mentoring the younger guys on the roster to build a cohesive and successful product on the court.

“Every day I’m just pushing them to get better. These young guys out on the court, I’m trying to get them better every single day,” said Mosley. “I challenge them to do stuff they don’t usually do so they can get better as time goes on.”

“We’re building it day-by-day, but it’s a process,” said O’Neal. “We just have to stay locked in every day and listen to Coach Morris. He’s giving us the right stuff to do and we just have to continue to stay locked in.”

Every single person on the Columbus basketball team wants nothing more than to add another trophy to their case on campus, and their work ethic and results this season have reflected that. They also believe they have the caliber of team to do so this season. However, they’re keeping the mentality at the “one game at a time” mantra. Coach Morris knows they still have a long playoff stretch ahead of them before they can achieve their ultimate goal. But if they keep playing like they’ve been playing all season long, he’s confident in what could happen.

“I think we’ve got pretty good continuity with what we have going on, we’ve been pretty consistent,” said Morris. “The guys have been playing hard and buying into the system. They’ve been unselfish and they’ve played together all year, and that’s been the key.”