Jackson State basketball's first true home game of season is new coach Mo Williams vs former team

If you are a Jackson State men’s basketball fan, don’t look at the 2-12 record. Or the tough schedule which saw the Tigers lose to Power Five schools Michigan, TCU, Texas Tech, Mississippi State and Indiana.

JSU coach Mo Williams, the Murrah grad, knows what it takes to be a champion. He's gone from Jackson to NBA champion with the Cleveland Cavaliers when they erased a 3-1 deficit in the 2016 NBA Finals and beat the 93-89 Golden State Warriors in Game 7 on the road.

JSU has been away from its home court all season, playing 14 of its 14 games out of the city. The Tigers were scheduled to play, on Dec. 14 against Mississippi State, at the Mississippi Coliseum.

“We have been on tour,” Williams said. “If you follow us on Instagram, every time we leave Jackson, we say we’re back on tour because every game is on the road. It is a lot of fatigue. These guys are not professionals. These guys still go to school and still have finals. It is extremely tough on college kids.”

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Yet there have been positive results. The Tigers grabbed an upset victory over American Athletic Conference powerhouse SMU 69-68 on Dec. 3. And they opened Southwestern Athletic Conference play Monday with a 67-66 victory at rival Alcorn State.

“In my mind, there (are) two seasons,” Williams said. “We are looking forward to SWAC play after playing a tough non-conference schedule. It was good for us and we were able to win on the road.”

Williams’ next game will be an emotional one as JSU takes on Alabama State — where he began his head coaching career for the past two seasons.

He said there will be no feelings or friendships during the game; those will take place after.

“I was excited to become a head coach at Alabama State,” Williams said. “There’s a lot of gratitude on my part. I am forever grateful for the opportunity. I have developed some relationships over there that will carry me for the rest of my life. I wish the best for them. I am excited about where we are as a team. It will be a good game.”

Jackson State plays Alabama State at 5 p.m. Saturday at the Lee E. Williams Athletic Assembly Center.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Jackson State basketball: Mo Williams first home game vs Alabama State