By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

PASS CHRISTIAN — When the Biloxi High boys’ basketball team takes the court Saturday night here in the final game of the Pass Christian Invitational Tournament, it will mark the beginning of the end of an era for the Indian program.
Veteran Biloxi head coach Seber Windham announced recently that he will be stepping down at the end of this season, which will be his 22nd year at the helm of the Indian program. Windham also was a standout player at BHS and served as an assistant for several seasons before moving into the first seat on the bench.

“This will be my last season at Biloxi High School,” Windham, the all-time winningest hoops mentor in BHS history said, in a recent interview. “I’ve talked with my administration, and they want me to stay.But God gives you an assignment in life, and he gave me an assignment that I’ve done for 29 years, and now God’s telling me it’s time to move on and find another assignment.”
Windham enters his final campaign with 359 wins and 149 losses as a head coach at BHS. He surpassed his mentor and high school head coach Jackie Laird last season as the all-time leader as head coach in late January of last year. Laird went 436-273 in 24 years in the same position.
In the past 55 years at Biloxi High School, the boys’ basketball team has had just three head coaches and amassed over 1,100 wins on the hardwood.

Windham took over as head coach before the 2005-2006 season started, and has enjoyed immense success while carrying on the winning tradition set into place by Laird and then John Pugh who served in the same seat for the next 11 seasons before yielding to Windham.
In 2009, Windham’s crew led by future NBA player Isiah Cannan and Jeremiah Dunnings posted an impressive 30-3 overall mark and captured the Class 5A state title with a 68-63 overtime win over Jackson Provine at the “Big House” in the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson.
Last season, he led his crew back to “The Big house” for the overall Class 7A final Four as the Indians finished with a 20-9 mark.

“Biloxi basketball has been my life,” Windham added. “My mother was the girls’ head basketball coach here in the early 1970’s, so I’ve truly been around Biloxi High School all my life and I can say it has truly been a blessing.
“And it will be bittersweet stepping away from a program that I’ve been involved with for so long. But, I know it’s time.”
As a player under Laird, from his point guard position, Windham guided the Indians to a 61-13 record in his last two seasons and back-to-back state titles in 1989 and 1990.
Windham then was a key player for William Carey in his college career from 1991-1994, before returning to Biloxi as an assistant coach under Pugh in 1997. Pugh had replaced Laird after Laird retired in 1994.
As an assistant under Pugh, Windham was instrumental in helping the Indians return to the overall state championship in Jackson and win titles again in both 2001 and 2004 before Pugh stepped down and handed the keys of the gym over to Windham.
Windham’s final season at BHS tips off Saturday night around 8:00 as his Indians tangle with the host Pirates in the in the 16th and final game of this annual three day affair.