Good Mornin’! Good Mornin’!
Sunflower County has long been chock full of high level, award winning athletes – both male and female, all races and ages.
My short lifetime includes Archie Manning, Coolidge Ball, Kris Stratton and dozens more.
But growing up in Inverness, if there was any talk about basketball, then Mike Sibley is the man.
His legend began in the gym at Central Delta Academy in the late 1960s and early 70s.
His first bit of press that I’m aware of came in the form of the school’s newspaper – Tiger Talk.
In an edition dated December 16, 1971 (I think, the ink is a bit fuzzy) Sports Editor and now acclaimed airline pilot and drummer, Hiram Douglas, had a three paragraph story on Mike’s accomplishment. I’ll let Hiram’s words take it from here:
Congratulations Mike
What can you say about a 14-year old Pete Maravich? That he’s one of the greatest in his league? That he’s “talented?” Well, you can say that about Mike Sibley, ninth grader at CDA. Mike broke the STATE record Monday, November 29, when he scored 64 points against Indianola Academy. He has played basketball all three years at CDA and in all his spare time away from the school.
Now, when people ask who the re-haired, freckle-faced kid is, they get a proud answer. “Mike Sibley, Junior High State Champion High Scorer.”
Let’s keep it up, Mike! You’ll make the pros, yet.
“The final score was 72-63,” Sibley said. “I was just in the zone. I was wearing my Pete Maravich look-alike socks. We were little CDA and were playing all the big schools and the next week I put up 57 on Clarksdale Lee.”
He would go on to IA and lead the team to its first ever State AAA Championship 44 years ago. His accolades continued as the school’s all-time leading scorer. He took his roundball acumen to Belhaven University where he is a member of the school’s Hall of Fame. His pro career never came to be and Sibley entered the working world and has carved out as much success off the court as he did on.
Now living in North Carolina, Sibley is a bit past his 14-year-old self and peaking over the 60-year-mark but is still kicking it on the court – and winning championships. As a member of the Senior Men’s Team, The Wazee Warriors, they won the North Carolina Games Championship and will travel to New Mexico in June to play for a National Title.
“We take our basketball in North Carolina very seriously and it is with great pride that I inform whoever will listen that Mississippians can play the game as well as anyone,” Sibley said.
Sibley noted that his success is rooted in longtime IA Coach, Buddy Walden.
“He taught me every single phase of the game,” Sibley said. “I was a scorer but he taught me to pass the ball. I was one of the leading assist men my freshman year of college in the country. I could play defense and rebound. He just taught every phase of the game. He was an incredible teacher.”
Inverness’ Pete Maravich – still kicking it on the court – Mike Sibley.
