CLEVELAND, Miss.–One of Delta State’s winningest basketball coaches will be inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame next year.
Steve Rives had a 401-201 record during his time as head men’s basketball coach for the Statesman, from 1986 to 2006, according to the school’s records. That includes four Gulf South championships.
Rives got his start coaching at a variety of private schools before heading the DSU program.
“When the selection committee called me to give me the news, I was very emotional and so excited. This honor puts me in the Hall of Fame with some great Delta State coaches, and I’m proud to be one of them,” said Rives.
The Hall says Rives has had a positive impact on college basketball in the state.
“It doesn’t seem possible that I was at Delta State for 20 years. We had some great teams when I was there, and we were top contenders in the league, playing in the conference championship game 10 times,” said Rives, a Jackson native. “After we went to the Division II Final Four in my first year, we struggled for the next three years, but we learned how to recruit, and I was blessed to bring in some great young men to coach.”
The induction will be in August.
