NCAA Basketball: Ole Miss vs. Southeastern Louisiana

Jay Ladner went out on top as the head boys basketball coach at St. Stanislaus where he won the 4A state championship back in 2011.

Tonight, the now Southeastern Louisiana head man made his return to the Big House for the first time since for a Wednesday showdown with Ole Miss.

It’s been a long time coming for Rebels Head Coach Kermit Davis Jr. as well who hasn’t been back to Mississippi Coliseum since 1978.

Ole Miss wins 69-47.

Now that Mississippi Coliseum reunion was a sentimental one following Ladner’s 20 year run at SSC where he advanced to the state tournament in half of those seasons.

On the bus ride up to the Metro, Ladner did some reflecting with News 25 about the history his team made more than seven years ago. “Obviously, being a long-time high school coach and native of Mississippi that was always a big deal. So if you ever played there, it meant you had a very successful season. We were very fortunate St. Stanislaus 10 of the 20 years I was there to advance that far and obviously the last game that I coached there was our state championship. They had set their goals to win a state championship and be the first team in St. Stanislaus history to do that and they did it. And they did it. It was a very, very special team.”

Ladner would later go on to win a national championship at Jones County Junior College in 2014 with the help of former Rock-A-Chaw Johnny Zuppardo.

Three other members of that state championship team at SSC would then play for Ladner at Southeastern: Daniel Grieves, Davon Hayes, and Malcolm Reid.