This was the case Monday, when the eight semi-final games were played. Eight more semifinal games will be played Tuesday and Wednesday. The end of a long and proud Magnolia State basketball tradition is near. The Mississippi State Championship Games – 12 in total – will be moved to The Pavilion at Ole Miss on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. This marks the first time that the state championship games have been played outside of the Mississippi Coliseum in over 50 years. Don Hinton (executive director of the Mississippi High School Activities Association) was asked about the move. He said, “We believe championship teams deserve to be in championship facilities. We want our youth to be able to compete in the best arenas in the state. It’s been a long time since Mississippi Coliseum was even close. When it was built in 1962, the Big House was considered state-of-the art. It has been in sad condition for many years. The Mississippi Coliseum is like a stripped-down ’62 Ford Fairlane compared with a 2020 Rolls Royce. The state tournament regional finals took place last week at four locations in Mississippi: Itawamba Community College and Mississippi Valley State in the north, as well as Pearl River Community College, and Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum, in the south. It seems that the days of Mississippi Coliseum being the venue for all these games, the semifinals, and championship rounds are gone. Hinton said, “We simply want what is best for young people.” In football, a similar move was made several years ago. The championship games were moved from the outdated Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium in 2014. They have been played at newer facilities at Ole Miss (Mississippi State) and Southern Miss. Hinton acknowledged that there were protests at the beginning about the football championships being changed, but said that everyone, including coaches, administrators, fans, and players, has accepted the idea. Hinton said, once again: “I believe our basketball people understand what this move has meant for football. Other than a few Jackson folks who said they enjoyed having it here, we haven’t received any negative feedback. My view (and this is coming from a sports traditionist of the first kind): MHSAA football has thrived since the move to college campuses. Basketball is expected to be the same. The 2021 state basketball championship finals, if all goes according to plan will be held at Humphrey Coliseum (Starkville). This is not certain, as both the men and women of Mississippi State would need to travel on the final weekend of the regular season. This should be possible for the Southeastern Conference. If Reed Green Coliseum is improved, Southern Miss could join the rotation to alternate the championship games with Ole Miss and State. For people like Jonathan Ashley, the coach of Ingomar, a tradition rich institution, this may take some time to get used to. Ingomar won Monday’s semifinal game 64-56 against Shaw and will face Baldwyn Thursday in Oxford for state crown. Since childhood, Ashley has been going to championship games at Mississippi Coliseum. Ingomar, his father Norris Ashley’s legendary coach, won the 1978 state title as an infant. Ashley stated that Ingomar has been a huge beneficiary of the 15 state championships for boys and girls. It’s meant a lot for my family. Times change. Sometimes for the better, sometimes not so much. I’m sure that change has been great for Mississippi football. “x000D_Balloon”_I’ll let you know about it Thursday.