This is the first of a series profiling matchups in Saturday’s Red Carpet Classic. Today: Vicksburg High. Thursday: Warren Central. Friday: St. Aloysius

{1/21/03}When Yazoo County plays Vicksburg High in the Red Carpet Classic on Saturday, don’t expect either of the girls coaches to pull a fast one on the other.

Vicksburg’s Mike Coleman and Yazoo County’s Pat Nutter started their coaching careers about the same time, coached AAU summer ball together, and coached against each other in a state tournament semifinal.

“We’re always sharing our ideas and talking about basketball,” Coleman said. “So, unless he’s come up with something new in the last couple weeks, we just about know each other pretty good.”

More competitive than the coaching rivalry, though, is when the pair get together with NCAA Football 2003 and a Playstation2.

“We’re much more competitive in that,” said Coleman, who will lead his Missy Gators into the 1 p.m. game against the Lady Panthers. The boys will follow at 2:30 p.m.

“Yeah, I’d say so,” said Nutter when asked the same question.

A long pass and a blitzing defense are staples in the Playstation battles and will surely play a part in this matchup.

The biggest battle on the court came in in Coleman’s last season in Raymond in 1999. The two teams both Class 3A powers and considered two of the best in the state at the time met in the state semifinals at the Mississippi Coliseum.

The Lady Panthers were in the midst of their amazing 69-game winning streak and had three Division I-A signees on the court as juniors.

“We had talked about wanting to play against each other in the championship, but it ended up being in the semifinals,” Coleman said. “… We were down seven going into the fourth quarter and they ended up beating up by 18. They were pretty tough.”

Nutter met Coleman at the old Utica High. With only four coaches on staff, Nutter led the junior high teams and assisted in several other sports while Coleman coached the varsity girls.

“He had a classroom next to mine and we hit it off,” Coleman said. “With only four coaches, you had to.”

They became fast friends and started coaching the Mean Green Machine, an elite summer AAU team based in Raymond.

Then Nutter went to Yazoo County and Coleman stayed at Raymond, before moving over to Vicksburg just over three years ago.

Another thing the two will have in common is a lack of preparation for Saturday’s game. On Friday, Vicksburg plays at division-rival Natchez, while the Lady Panthers play against Cleveland, one of their division rivals.

Both teams will get home late, then suit it up for the early afternoon game.

“We are way more concerned about Cleveland,” Nutter said. “It’s like that the whole week. We never want to lose, but our preparation (for Saturday) will be mostly on the bus.”

Nutter said his team will start two sophomores and three juniors. The one senior on the team starts some, but mostly comes off the bench.

Coleman, on the other hand, will start a veteran team that is also in the midst of the most grueling week of the schedule. The Missy Gators, coming off a crushing defeat to WC, will play Clinton on Tuesday, before the Natchez game.

“I’m expecting a low-scoring game because they play such good defense and so do we,” Coleman said. “Both teams are real quick.

“I also think with both of us having long road trips and coming back and playing a few hours later, I think it will be hard on both teams.”