By Thomas Sellers Jr.

It’s been 40 years since the best basketball team in Millington Central High School took the William Osteen Gymnasium court.

On Dec. 15, those Trojans will return home to be honored and celebrated for their achievements in the Black and Gold. Current Millington Trojans Head Coach Jewell Gates is excited for the return of 1978-79 Trojans  during the 2018 William Osteen Christmas Tournament.

“They’re on that wall over there,” Gates noted of the 78-79 team. “Every time I walk into this room, they’re hanging right over there. I will admit I remember that team. My sister graduated from Munford High School around that same time. I was in the sixth grade.

“We would come down here when we play Millington,” he continued. “And the William Osteen Tournament, we would come down every night for that. I saw them play at least 5 or 6 times. One of those guys goes to my church.”

Gates can do a roll call of the names from that Trojan squad. The likes of Marlon Brown, Greg Bryant, William Peters and Michael Henderson were heroes to the young Gates.

Gates said watching that Trojan team play in the William Osteen Tournament was pure excitement. He said that Millington squad proved they were the best in school history and one of the top tier teams of that era.

“It’s been long overdue and they should have been honor and respected a long time ago,” Gates said. “It’s the best boys team in the history of this school. If you go 31-5, you Regional champs and you only lose in the Sub-State game, there’s no harm in that.”

The Hamilton Wildcats outlasted the Trojans that day to claim a spot in the 1979 State Tournament. But the MCHS Trojans earned and set a standard for future Trojan Basketball teams to reach.

“That team we are going to honor in December,” Gates concluded. “We’re going to honor them during the first night of the 2018 William Osteen Christmas Tournament because they used to win that all the time. I hope celebrating their 40th anniversary will be a good oman for the 2018-19 Trojans.”

The 1978-79 Millington Trojan Basketball team members are from left Steve Vaughn (manager), Mark Thompson, Mike Henderson, Randall Fayne, Neal Hardaway, Kelly Williams, William Perry, Ed Peters, Marlon Brown, Nathaniel Morrison, Tim Holmes, Greg Bryant, Louis Davis and Jerry Taylor (manager).