(Editor’s Note: SouthMiss6 Sports is proud to sponsor the reincarnation of the Jackson County Basketball Tournament which tips off Monday at Hubbard Gymnasium on the campus of Ocean Springs High School. The latest event is the third such in the county dating back over 90 years. In this three part story, we will explore the three different times since the early 1930’s a Jackson County Tournament has taken place.)
By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director
OCEAN SPRINGS — The first-ever Jackson County Basketball Tournament has its roots documented all the way back to 1933, when both high school and what was then documented as “grammar schools” compiled the field for over a decade.
After a 16-year run, the original tourney ceased after the 1949 event. And it would be 24 years before a Jackson County Tournament would surface again.
In 1973, there is a mention in local newspapers of a Jackson-Harrison County Basketball Tournament taking place from Dec 27-Dec. 30th. The event consisted of at least the boys’ teams from Moss Point, Ocean Springs, Gulfport, Gulfport East, Harrison Central and the host Biloxi team.

Mighty Gulfport beat the Indians in the title tilt.
Then, skip ahead to 1982, when a true Jackson County Basketball Tournament returned thanks to then Pascagoula head coach Mike Noblitt.
That initial tourney in 1982 took place at PHS in mid-December, and the field was comprised of boys and girls teams from East Central, Vancleave, Ocean Springs, St. Martin, the host school and Moss Point.
Live Oak couldn’t compete because the private school in Moss Point wasn’t allowed to play members of The Mississippi High School Activities Association, and OLV decided not to be involved.

The Moss Point boys and St. Martins girls captured tourney titles, each beating host PHS in the finals.
The tourney moved to OSHS the next year in 183, and once again consisted of the same 12 teams.
Once again, the next year in 1984, all six boys teams and all six girls teams from the same half-dozen schools descended on East Central for the same type of affair.

There is no mention in either The Mississippi Press or The Sun Herald of a Jackson County Basketball Tournament after the 1984 event again, until 2001.
That year, The Mississippi Press has a lone mention of the event in early December. Boys and girls teams from MPHS, PHS, OSHS, SMHS, VHS, Gautier and Resurrection comprised the field.
The boys’ tourney took place at GHS< and the girls played at PHS.