Coaches Rhett Harrelson of Enterprise High School and Darren Golson of Autaugaville High School have been selected to coach the Alabama All-Star Boys’ basketball team set to face Mississippi March 11, 2023, in the 33rd annual Alabama-Mississippi Basketball All-Star Classic. Harrelson led the Wildcats to a 25-6 record and the school’s first Class 7A state basketball championship last season. Golson guided Autaugaville to a perfect 30-0 season en route to the Class 1A state championship in 2001 and led the Eagles back to the state tourney in 2022 – finishing 27-3 after falling to eventual state champion Covenant Christian in the semifinals.
Named to coach Alabama girls’ all-stars are Guntersville head coach Kenny Hill and Saint James head coach Katie Barton. Hill’s Wildcats rolled to a 30-5 record last season and won the Class 5A state championship. Barton’s Trojans (25-7) reached the Class 4A State Tourney finals falling to Deshler in the championship game.
Brandon Dean, Director of the Alabama High School Athletic Directors & Coaches Association (AHSADCA), made the announcement Thursday. Dean said the teams will be announced next March. Each team is comprised of 15 seniors selected by the AHSADCA All-Star Coaches’ Committee from school-submitted nominations. The games will be live streamed over the NFHS Network and televised over the AHAA TV Network with WOTM TV producing the contests. The AHSAA Radio Network will also broadcast the games live over its extensive network of radio stations and internet links.
“We are grateful to have these coaches leading these All-Star teams,” said Dean. “Each of them has done an outstanding with their respective programs. We are confident that they will provide the same leadership and energy with this year’s group of student-athletes.”
Alabama swept Mississippi last year in the 32nd annual Alabama-Mississippi Classic. The Alabama girls upped their lead in the series (18-14), which started in 1991 with an impressive 89-81 win at Clinton (MS) last March. The Alabama girls are riding a five-game winning streak dating back to 2018. The Alabama boys’ squad defeated Mississippi 96-89 last March and now hold a slim 17-15 lead in the series. Alabama’s boys have won three of the last four games – falling 93-81 in the 2021 game.
Harrelson, who graduated from Enterprise High School and Western Carolina University, will serve as the Alabama boys’ head coach, and Hill will serve as the Alabama girls’ head coach, said Dean. Harrelson has compiled a 103-46 career coaching record heading into his sixth season this winter. The Wildcats earned berths in the AHSAA State Basketball Tourney each of the last two years.
Golson, a graduate of Autaugaville High School and Auburn-Montgomery University, has compiled a 369-138 career coaching record over 18 seasons. The Eagles also have made trips to the final four state tourney the last two seasons. Their 57-3 record during that span is the best winning percentage of any boys’ team in the AHSAA during that span.
Hill, who is a graduate of Scottsboro High School and Athens State University, is 206-127 over 11 seasons. He formerly coached at Enterprise High School. Barton, who attended Prattville High School, is also an AUM graduate. She has a 413-192 career record over 21 seasons.
The AHSAA and AHSADCA, in conjunction with the Mississippi Association of Coaches (MAC), administer the all-star games each year. The games rotate annually between each state. Alabama will be the host for the 32nd annual Alabama-Mississippi Classic. The site will be announced in the coming weeks, said Dean.
The 36th Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Football Classic will be played Dec. 10 at Mobile’s Hancock Whitney Stadium located on the campus of the University of South Alabama. Auburn High School’s Keith Etheredge was named the Alabama All-Stars head coach earlier this month.
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