Some good work being done in the community by the Ole Miss basketball team, which plans to stop by St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital on Friday afternoon. (The Rebels play Memphis at FedExForum on Saturday.)

According to the press release sent out by the school, “At least one patient has expressed to being a long-time, loyal Ole Miss basketball fan.” Well, I suppose that’s a step in the right direction. Maybe they’ll gain a few more. But for the time being, these Rebels might struggle with the hometown crowd at St. Jude’s. I can see some young boy or girl looking up at Dwayne Curtis, Ole Miss’ junior center, and exclaiming, “You’re no Robert Dozier!” But we digress.
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Why’s everyone so pumped up?

It was just two weeks ago that Manassas and Kingsbury were involved in an all-out brawl during a Hall of Champions basketball game at Kingsbury, and now, we have Mitchell guard Ken Torry going after Hamilton forward Deveyon Hunter last Friday night with a straight right hand in the fourth quarter of a game that was all but over.

Usually, during games I’ve covered, it’s the fans that start the brawls, and those scuffles are usually confined to the seats. This year, on-the-court retaliation seems to be the trend. Whether it’s just an early-season one has yet to be seen.

I guess the most disappointing part of it all, at least in my book, is that Mitchell coach Jerry Johnson and Hamilton coach Keelon Lawson only jacked up the intensity even more afterward, taking verbal jabs at one other publically rather than teaching their kids a lesson in sportsmanship.

Keep in mind, these two teams have to play one another again, for a third time already this season, Saturday night at Mitchell. It took school officials and the police to get them separated after the game last Friday.

Here’s hoping all it takes is a handshake afterward to separate them this time.