SPORTS EDITOR BLOG — Don Hinton will be the new Executive Director for the Mississippi High School Activities Association or MHSAA after being named to his new position on Wednesday. Why that’s important for people to know here in Oxford is because he will be the man that makes decisions on how high school sports are played over the next five to 10 years.Hinton will take over for Ennis Proctor, the current director, on July 1, 2011. He is a South Mississippi guy having graduated from Jones Junior College and Southern Mississippi and worked extensively on the coast or in the Jackson area as a head football coach and athletic director. How Hinton governs the sports, competitions and the officials that call those events in Mississippi remains to be seen. But his decisions, and the decisions he filters down to his staff, will have an impact on all non high school senior athletes from Lafayette County and Water Valley.

Hopefully Mr. Hinton will do a good job in his new position and continue to make the sports in the state strong from top to bottom.  I’m hoping that Hinton can make some tough decisions about officials that need to be addressed in regards to how accountable they are for what they do. Some of those type issues have not been dealt with as well in the past. I’m also hoping that Hinton continues to enhance the girls sports in the state, especially when it comes to softball and golf, two of the girls sports that don’t seem to get as much attention as girls basketball. (May 13, 2010)