By Shawn Wansley
JCJC Sports Information Director

ELLISVILLE – One of the most successful high school basketball coaches in the history of the state of Mississippi credits Jones County Junior College with helping him achieve excellence.

“I received such a good foundation at Jones and that is the secret to success,” said longtime Richton High School basketball Louis D. Ready. “I majored in P.E. and minored in math and that enabled me to go on and do well throughout my life. Jones helped me in so many ways.

“All four of my children attended JCJC on athletic scholarships and three of my grandchildren attended JCJC on scholarships. So you can see what Jones meant to me.”

Ready will join four other inductees into the JCJC Class of 2009 Sports Hall of Fame on Friday, Sept. 11. A banquet will be held beginning at 6 p.m. on Friday in Bobcat Gym and all of the honorees will be recognized during halftime of the Saturday, Sept. 12, football game vs. Co-Lin at Bobcat Stadium/Sim Cooley Field.

Ready played basketball and tennis at Jones from 1951-53. He was a basketball standout for Coach A.B. Howard and a tennis player for Coach Troy Bush.

“Jones was the only school to offer me a scholarship,” he said. “At the time, I did not know what I wanted to do. I didn’t know I was going to be a teacher, preacher, coach or a farmer. Well, I knew I would not be a farmer or a preacher, so I decided to go into teaching and coaching.”

He credits Howard with guiding him through his two years at Jones and helping him graduate and go on to Delta State University. “Coach Howard was my advisor and he helped me a great deal,” Ready said. “We were on the quarter system then. I had 96 quarter hours and every one of them transferred to Delta State.

“That was important because it enabled me to graduate on time. I gained a lot of good experience and it carried over to Delta State where I played for Coach (John Ray) Ricks.”

Ready received numerous honors while he was at Jones.

He was an All-State honorable mention selection in basketball at JCJC in 1952-53. He was the Sophomore Class President, Homecoming King, Mr. JCJC, Most Athletic and Most Friendly in 1953. He would go on to Delta State where he played basketball and ran track. He was elected Most Handsome at DSU in 1955.

After graduating from Delta State, Ready was named head basketball coach at Richton in 1956, where he had numerous accomplishments.

He organized and started the Richton Rotary Club’s Basketball Tournament in 1956 and it is still being played each year during the first week of December. He was named Coach of the Year in 1966, 1967, 1981, 1983, 1985 and 1988 and was chosen the Hattiesburg American’s All-Area Coach of the Year in 1986-87.

The gym at Richton High School was named after Ready following his retirement.

He said his experiences at Jones played a key role in helping him in his career.

“There was such a uniqueness about Jones,” he said. “(School President) J.B. Young knew everyone by their first name and when he would talk to you, it made you feel special. When I graduated, I just hated to leave Jones and go to Delta State.

“Jones had more students than Delta State and there was such a good atmosphere at school.”

Ready said he expects many of his former players to be at the induction ceremony.

“I think we have a good list of names coming,” he said. “I know there are a couple of players from the first integrated team in 1969 at Richton who are supposed to be here and I have not seen them in a while.”

Ready is looking forward to being involved in the weekend’s activities. He said he has attended both of the prior induction ceremonies, the first one at the C.L. Neill Student Center Cafeteria and the 2008 ceremony at the Ronald Whitehead Advanced Technology Center.

“It is a great thing to be going in with this class and to be joining the Hall of Fame,” he said. “I think a lot of Coach Howard and Randall Boone and I knew Coach (Sim) Cooley, too.

“I am just very appreciative of being nominated and selected. It is quite an honor.”

Joining Ready in this year’s class will be Gwen Magee (softball), Jerry K. “Sally” Smith (basketball), Aubrey Wade (football) and Patricia Waldrup (cheerleading).

Ready and his wife, Rose, have four children: Dan Ready and his wife, Mary; Sharon Ready Anderson and her husband, Tim; Mart Ready and his wife, Stacey; and Lee Ready and his wife, Lisa. Grandchildren are Drew Ready, Kris Ready Arnold, Lindsay Anderson, Lauren Anderson, Alec Ready and Taylor Ready.

JCJC Sports Hall of Fame

Class of 2007: Sim Cooley, Joe Flowers, A.B. Howard
Class of 2008: Randall Boone, John Perkins, Gene Tullos
Class of 2009: Gwen Magee, L.D. Ready, Jerry K. “Sally” Smith, Aubrey Wade, Patricia Waldrup