This was supposed to be the year Dellie C. Robinson rode off into the sunset.

The Vicksburg High coach had his state championship, his great teams, plenty of division titles and victories, and his son Delmon was finishing his senior year of high school — playing for his father’s basketball team, no less. It was the perfect setup to go out strong.

Like so many coaches, though, it wasn’t easy for Robinson to walk away. Not with a pair of phenoms on the roster and a chance for a few more good years.

“This has always been my year. I said after Delmon was gone I was going to retire,” said the 54-year-old Robinson, who has been a teacher and coach for 29 years and is eligible for full state retirement benefits. “I’m backing off that. I’m not ready to go home, and I’ve got two outstanding young coaches that I’m trying to get ready for when I do leave. And you can throw Ammons in there too.”

Ah, yes. Ammons. As in Mychal Ammons. The 6-foot-5 freshman. The shot-blocking, 3-point shooting, rebounding machine that takes care of every weakness the Gators had last season in one neat, tidy package.

Ammons is a major reason Robinson is not only sticking around a couple more years, but that he’ll have a shot to make an impact on his way out the door. In addition to Ammons, VHS returns six regular starters from last season — including senior guard Jonathan Phelps, who averaged 28 points per game.

With Phelps’ scoring, the Gators finished 19-12 last season despite the lack of a true rebounder. Ammons fills that void nicely, giving VHS a solid rebounder and all-around team for the first time since it won the Class 5A championship in 2002-03.

“The kid has the potential to be one of the best basketball players to come through Warren County,” Robinson said of Ammons. “Last year we finished 19-12 and had no inside game. His presence is going to make us better, especially if we can throw the ball inside.”

Ammons made a splash with a few cameo appearances toward the end of last season. Like his coach, Phelps was looking forward to having the big man on the court full-time.

“Last year they double-teamed me or played a box-and-one,” Phelps said. “Mike will open it up, because now they have to worry about that inside presence. Then he can step out and shoot the three, too, so they have to defend that.”

Besides Ammons and Phelps, VHS also has a deadly outside shooter in sophomore Kelsey Howard, and returns forwards John Qualls and Charles Coleman and guards Delmon Robinson, Jaybri Williams, Levextwin Trunell and Maurice Williams. All were part of the regular rotation last season, and the Gators will need all of them to show the improvement that an extra year’s experience brings.

Vicksburg’s drop to Class 4A this year landed it smack dab in the middle of one of the toughest divisions in the state, on any level. Among the Gators’ new rivals are defending Class 4A champion Lanier, along with solid teams from Callaway, Canton, Yazoo City and Yazoo County. All five, along with VHS, have coaches with state championship rings.

The division opener with Ridgeland on Dec. 4 begins a two-month grind that any of those teams will be lucky to survive. Outside of a Christmas break tournament at Raymond, VHS plays 17 games from Dec. 4 to Feb. 8. All but three are against division opponents.

“We’re backed up in a tough situation. We went down to 4A and got put in arguably the toughest district in the state,” Robinson said. “But we have a team that can compete.”