CLEVELAND, Miss. - Tickets can now be purchased for the induction of Delta State University's winningest men's basketball coach, Steve Rives, into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame.

Induction festivities begin with the Drawdown of Champions on Friday, August 1 at 6 p.m. at The Sheraton Flowood that features a silent auction and a drawdown for a $5,000 prize.

On Saturday, August 2, guests can meet the 2025 inductees at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame from 10-11:30 a.m. with special appearances from other Hall of Famers. The weekend concludes with the 62nd Annual Induction Banquet with a reception at 5:30 p.m. and program to follow at 7 p.m. at the Clyde Muse Center in Pearl.

For ticket packages and sponsorship opportunities, view the 2025 Induction Package.


More information on Coach Steve Rives

Delta State is the cornerstone of college basketball, especially in Mississippi. Historically, women's basketball at Delta State, in particular the Margaret Wade era, is considered the foundation on which modern women's basketball was built. However, for 20 years from the mid-80s to mid-2000s, Delta State men's basketball joined the ranks of basketball excellence in Mississippi, the Gulf South Conference, South Region, and NCAA Division II. Due in large part to the winningest men's basketball coach in program history, Steve Rives.
 
Starting from humble beginnings at Hanging Moss Academy in 1972, Rives quickly climbed the ranks of coaching excellence with stops at McCluer Academy (1973-74), Jackson Prep (1974-82), East Central Community College (1983-85), and Louisiana College (1985-86) before reaching, in his opinion, the pinnacle of coaching distinction, Delta State University where he led the Statesmen basketball team for two decades, from 1986-2006. Rives' resume is lengthy and impressive not only from his time with the Statesmen but also as a championship coach at his preceding coaching stints.
 
In his time at the helm of Delta State men's basketball, Rives amassed a 401-201 overall record with four Gulf South Conference titles and nine NCAA Division II tournament appearances, including three Sweet 16 appearances, two Elite Eight appearances, and one Final Four appearance in his first season as head coach in the 1986-87 season.
 
The Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame was a dream of Rives', as he aspired to join the esteemed group of former Delta State coaching Hall-of-Famers. "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."
 
Those other great Delta State coaches: Gene Chadwick (football), Dave "Boo" Ferriss (baseball), Margaret Wade (women's basketball), Lloyd Clark (women's basketball), and Mike Kinnison (baseball). Rives is the first men's basketball coach to be inducted from Delta 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," Rives continued. "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."
 
Guiding 31 All-GSC selections, 10 All-Americans, and 6 All-Region players, Rives was named ABCA National Coach of the Year in 2006, while also coaching the first Statesman to win the C Spire Bailey Howell Trophy, awarded to Mississippi's best collegiate men's basketball player, in Jasper Johnson.
 
While wins, losses, and statistics can be counted, perhaps the most indelible impact Rives brought to the game of basketball is his inherent ability to influence future leaders of the game, demonstrated by his producing the next generation of coaches. At the time of his retirement in 2006, Rives had 63 former players or graduate assistants coaching in the high school or collegiate ranks.
 
The Jackson, Miss., native was named GSC Coach of the Year four times (1986, 1997, 1998, and 2006), as well as NCAA Division II South Region Coach of the Year from 1997-98, and Basketball Times NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year in 2006.
 
Rives' teams compiled a 122-55 record from 2000-2006, including a 30-2 mark and GSC title in 2006, which earned him GSC West Division Coach of the Decade honors in 2010.
 
Dr. Brad Teague, the Director of Athletics in the latter part of Rives' tenure, described Rives as a great basketball leader. "When I arrived at Delta State as the AD, he was already established as a successful basketball coach. I was able to watch him work and continue that success. His 2006 team was the best team I have worked with in my time as an AD. Steve Rives is a fine coach and a better person. I am proud that I got to work with him."
 
Rives and the other inductees will be officially inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame on August 2, 2025.