Southeast Lauderdale boys basketball coach Centel Truman, right, hugs Southeast Lauderdale alumnus Damion Willis after the Tigers beat Morton 61-59 in the Region 5-3A tournament championship game Friday, Feb. 11, 2022, at Clarkdale. Truman was Willis' position coach for football when Willis was a wide receiver at Southeast Lauderdale.

Expectations were high for the Southeast Lauderdale boys basketball team, but the Tigers had to weather the injury bug during the season, which made things difficult early on.

The Tigers began the year 4-3 before dropping six games in a row between Dec. 16 and Jan. 4. That Jan. 4 contest was a 47-35 loss to Morton to begin division play, but the Tigers won their next four Region 5-3A contests before everyone got healthy in time for Southeast Lauderdale’s Jan. 21 game at Morton.

Though Southeast Lauderdale lost that game 53-50, it marked a turning point for the Tigers, as they wouldn’t lose another game until March 5 — against Booneville, in the MHSAA Class 3A state championship game in Jackson. In between then, the Tigers won their remaining division games, beat Morton 61-59 in the Region 5-3A tournament’s championship contest and won four playoff games to make it to the state title round.

Because of his team’s strong finish, Southeast Lauderdale boys basketball coach Centel Truman has been named the Premier Preps Boys Basketball Coach of the Year.

“It’s truly an awesome thing,” Truman said of the recognition. “It means I have some great players and a great coaching staff. I know I’m getting the award, but it’s not an individual award because I have a lot of great help. It’s a collective award for myself, my players and my coaches.”

Southeast Lauderdale had a preseason ranking of No. 4 in Class 3A, so it wasn’t just Truman who felt the Tigers had a lot of potential.

“Coming in, I had high expectations,” Truman said. “I believed we could be a state champion. We returned 12 out of 13 players from the year before, so I knew if we stayed healthy we’d have a chance.” 

But staying healthy proved difficult early on, as it wasn’t until that second regular-season game with Morton that the Tigers had their regular starting lineup back.

“We had so many guys who played on the team last year that the chemistry of guys understanding what we were running, they already had it, so we were just trying to weather the storm,” Truman said. “We have a great club and coaching staff, so you just find ways to navigate it. That’s why I was so proud of these guys. So many kids found ways to step up to get us to where we needed to be.”

Truman called the loss at Morton a turning point, as there was a players-only meeting after that game. 

“We didn’t lose another game until the state championship game,” Truman said. “These guys who were seniors, they were district champions in (the 2019-20 season), so now this senior class has been a part of two district championship teams in the last three years, and they understand how to win and prepare to make deep runs in the playoffs.”

After knocking off Morton 61-59 in the Region 5-3A championship game, Southeast Lauderdale won its first two postseason contests against Seminary (83-29) and Hazlehurst (42-38) to set up a showdown with defending state champions St. Andrew’s Episcopal, the team that eliminated the Tigers in the playoffs two seasons ago. This time, Southeast Lauderdale came out on top 52-48, and the Tigers went on to beat Holly Springs 57-47 in the semifinals to set up their championship contest with Booneville.

“You win district, make a run, beat the state champions in their own gym and get to the coliseum, and then find a way to get to the state championship game… I told my guys they have something to be proud of,” Truman said. 

Though the season didn’t end the way they wanted with a 47-35 loss to Booneville in the title game, Truman said he’s using that as motivation for next year’s team.

“Our goal is to get back and finish,” Truman said. “I have seven juniors from this year’s team who will be seniors next year that were a part of this run. I know some of them are still hurting right now, but I’m using that in the weight room and with our offseason program. The kids can’t wait to get ready for summer league and get a chance to play someone to get that bad taste out of their mouths.”