As the program has improved, Warren Central’s boys basketball team has increasingly gained more recognition around the state. That’s evident with the makeup of the rosters for this year’s state basketball all-star games.

Guard Jalen Glass and coach Bruce Robinson will participate in the Mississippi-Alabama All-Star Game, while junior forward Jabari Bowman will play in the Mississippi Association of Coaches North-South game.

The all-star selections are the first for Warren Central’s boys team since Mario Doyle was picked for the Mississippi All-Star Game in 2015.

“That’s huge for our program. Those are our second and third all-stars since I’ve been here. So when you talk about building a program and getting recognition for the kids, it shows we are developing something over here at Warren Central,” Robinson said.

The Mississippi-Alabama game is March 15 in Montgomery, Alabama. The North-South game is for juniors and is March 23 at Mississippi College in Clinton.

Robinson will be an assistant coach in the Mississippi-Alabama game, and will serve as the head coach for the Mississippi squad in 2020. Now in his 27th year on the bench, he called being selected to coach in the game an honor.

“It means a lot because that’s something your peers pick,” Robinson said. “I’ve been coaching for 27 years, and to be one of the so-called deans of the sport and get that recognition means a lot.”

It also meant he was able to influence the selection process a bit — not that Glass needed a lot of help attaining his status as one of the state’s top players.

Glass, a 6-foot-2 senior, is listed as a guard but does a little bit of everything for the Vikings. He’s averaging 11.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game, is shooting 25 percent from 3-point range and 48 percent inside the arc.

More importantly, Robinson said, Glass provides a number of intangibles for a team that had won eight of its last nine games and five in a row heading into Tuesday night’s home contest against Murrah.

Robinson admitted to lobbying for one of his players to join him on the all-star roster, but added that it wasn’t a hard sell to the other coaches on the selection committee.

“It’s the energy that he brings and the team leadership he provides. All-star teams need a guy like that,” Robinson said. “And when you’re an all-star coach you want to bring somebody with you to get a taste of that success. When I ride, we all ride.”

Bowman has been a key contributor for Warren Central for two years, and is leading the team in scoring (13.3 points) and rebounding (10.6 per game) this season. He has scored in double figures in each of his last nine games.

At 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds, Bowman has the prototpyical body of a power forward and immediately gained attention as one of the better young players in the state while helping Warren Central’s ninth-grade team win the Little Six Conference championship in 2017. He’s lived up to the hype as a varsity player.

“It is good to see him get it. I think he’s averaging a double-double. When they started asking about big men, he’s one of the first people mentioned,” Robinson said. “He’s made a name for himself, and if he keeps maturing on and off the court he can be really good.”

In addition to the Warren Central trio, Vicksburg High will have one all-star representative. Junior forward Tiarra Jones will play in the girls’ North-South game March 23.

Jones is averaging 7.1 points and 6.3 rebounds per game for the Missy Gators this season. The three-year starter is averaging 6.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and one steal per game for her high school career.