MARK ALEXANDER Head Coach
Mark Alexander is entering his 15th year in the coaching profession, and seventh at MRA. He serves as the head junior high boys basketball coach and lead high school assistant. In addition., he is the head golf coach and Sports Information Director. Alexander has been a part of eight State title teams and three Overall championship teams on the varsity level during his tenure at MRA. He has compiled an 83-13 record in four seasons as the junior high head coach, guiding his teams to three regular season championships, two tournament championships and a tournament runner-up finish. The Patriots were 23-0 last season. The Jackson native played basketball at Belhaven
for one year before transferring to Mississippi State, where he received a bachelor’s degree in Sports Communication while also serving as a manager for the men’s basketball team for three seasons. Alexander was a sports writer for 15 years, and also dabbled in sports radio and basketball color analyst roles prior to joining the coaching ranks. He was the athletic director and head girls and boys basketball coach at now defunct Tennessee Temple Academy in Chattanooga, TN., and also held the position of varsity head boys basketball coach at Manchester Academy and Starkville Academy prior to his arrival at MRA. SEASON OUTLOOK After missing out on the majority of last season due to the coronavirus pandemic, the golf team is looking forward to the 2020-’21 season. Senior Sims Dixon is the lone returnee. Dixon, who has been a member of the MRA golf team since the sixth grade, shot a 72 a year ago in The Icebreaker tournament hosted by Simpson Academy and staged at Hattiesburg Country Club. That was the only tournament played last year as the Co-vid shutdown period began shortly thereafter and extended through the rest of the school year. Dixon, looking to build upon a successful summer of golf, should be primed for a good senior year. “Sims has really come a long way over the last couple of years,” MRA coach Mark Alexander said. “He’s worked extremely hard to improve and get to the point where is now with his game. Sims certainly has a chance to play college golf somewhere in the future.” Alexander welcomes the arrival of highly-regarded sixth-grader Ramsey Milling. She, along with Dixon, should give the Patriots an excellent 1-2 combo at the top of the lineup. “I haven’t seen her play, but I’ve heard she’s a really good player,” Alexander said. “Even though she’s young, she’s played in a lot of tournaments, so for her age she’s got a lot of tournament experience which is a good thing. Hopefully, we’ll have a few more guys and/or girls come out this year so that we can field a full 5/6-player team.” This year’s team will tee it up in quality tournaments throughout the state, including the Heritage/Oak Hill Invitational staged over two days at Old Waverly CC and Mossy Oak GC in West Point. Thanks for your support of the golf program. We hope to see you at the course.
Golf
Sims Dixon
Ramsey Milling
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