Boatner, McDyess selected for Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame

Former West Lauderdale baseball coach Jerry Boatner and former Quitman basketball standout Antonio McDyess will be inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame next year.

Boatner, who coached at West Lauderdale for 45 years, and McDyess, who played college basketball at Alabama before a 16-year career in the NBA, will be joined by several others in a ceremony on Aug. 1, 2020, at the Jackson Convention Complex. Other inductees include former Ole Miss and 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis, former Mississippi State athletic director Larry Templeton, Callaway High School alumna and current Dodgers Senior Vice President of Planning and Development Janet Marie Smith and the late Pete Brown, who grew up in Jackson and went on to be just the second African American earn a PGA Tour card and the first African American to win a PGA Tour event with his victory at the Waco Turner Open in 1964.

After retiring from West Lauderdale following the 2018 season, Boatner finished with 1,202 career wins — the most in Mississippi high school history — and 14 state titles while leading the Knights. Its his seventh hall of fame induction, which includes the Mississippi Association of Coaches Hall of Fame, into which he was inducted in the early 2000s.

“This hall of fame is special because it has so many heroes I looked up to growing up that are in it, such as Brett Favre, Archie Manning, Jerry Rice and Walter Payton,” Boatner said. “It’s an awesome feeling. I’m really blessed to be able to be nominated in my home state by the people that know me the most.”

Boatner, who began his coaching career at Clarkdale before moving to Collinsville after five years, also led West Lauderdale to eight state championships in slow-pitch softball. The fact that he will be representing Collinsville and West Lauderdale means a great deal to Boatner, he said.

“The community of Collinsville is special, and I had so much support and so many good players that helped build the program into what it is today,” Boatner said. “It means a lot to represent Collinsville and West Lauderdale because that’s where my heart has been for years.”

McDyess, a power forward, played at Alabama from 1993-95, and during his sophomore year, he led the Crimson Tide in rebounding (10.2 per game) and points (13.9 per game) before being selected No. 2 overall by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 1994 NBA Draft. He was traded to the Denver Nuggets prior to the start of the 1995-96 NBA season and also played for the Phoenix Suns, the New York Knicks, the Detroit Pistons and the San Antonio Spurs in his 16-year pro career.

Following his retirement in 2011, McDyess finished with a career 12 points and 7 1/2 rebounds per contest. During the 2000-01 season, he tallied 20.8 points per game and 12.1 rebounds per game and was selected as an All-Star. McDyess also won a gold medal on the United State’s 2000 Olympic basketball team. He was also selected to the first-team All-Rookie squad in 1996.