For 28 seasons, Coach Harvey Childers led basketball programs at Thaxton, Myrtle, W. P. Daniel in New Albany, and Northeast Mississippi Community College to championship glory. A native of Ripley, Coach Childers graduated from Tippah-Union High in Blue Mountain and Ole Miss before starting his 28-year coaching career in 1963. After coaching one season at Thaxton High, Harvey arrived at Myrtle where he would coach for the next 11 years. He guided the Hawks to four Tallahatchie Conference titles, 2 district championships, and two state runner-up finishes. Coach Childers moved to New Albany where he would pace the W. P. Daniel High program for 9 seasons. At W. P. Daniel, Harvey’s teams earned four North Little 10 Conference championships, four district crowns, three North half championships, a state runner-up finish, and the 1985 state championship. In 1985, the JUCO ranks brought Coach Childers to Northeast Community College in Booneville. In his 7 seasons at Northeast, he led his men’s hoops teams to five North Division titles, one state championship, one Region 23 MACJC title, and two appearances in the national NJCAA tournament including a runner-up finish in 1990. Harvey’s high school and JUCO squads racked up 735 wins and only 230 losses out of 965 games for a winning mark of 76.2%. The successes on the court brought Coach Childers many honors including five coach of the year awards from the Tallahatchie Conference, four coach of the year accolades from the Little 10 Council of Schools conference, three Region 23 coach of the year honors, and MAC coach of the year awards for high school in 1985 and JUCO in 1986. The MACJC also honored him with coach of the year honors in 1986. Coach Childers was a longtime MAC member and a member of the MACJC Coaches Association. Harvey gave back to the profession with clinic speaker appearances at Freed-Hardeman and Ole Miss men’s and women’s clinics. Coach Childers served as an All-Star coach in the 1980 Mississippi High School All-Star game and was a two-time All-Star coach in the MACJC All-Star game.