Tipler going to Coastal Carolina

DeAnthony Tipler has honed his basketball skills since elementary school. Next up is playing at the D-1 level.

The former Ashland High School basketball star, who excelled the last two seasons at Northeast Community College, recently signed with Coastal Carolina.

"I've continued to work hard, and things are paying off for me," Tipler said.

He also had offers from Portland, Troy, Prairie View A&M and Jackson State.

He said he is excited about playing for Coastal Carolina, led by veteran coach Cliff Ellis.

"It's a good program," Tipler said. "I know some of the players there, and a football player I know from Northeast is there. So I have relationships with some people there."

The 6-0, 170-pound guard averaged 20.4 points, four assists and 4.8 rebounds per game for the Northeast Tigers (24-3) this season. He was the leading scorer in the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges.

Cord Wright, head coach at Northeast, said Tipler's two years on the basketball court for the Tigers will not be forgotten.

"He had a solid freshman season, and his sophomore year was phenomenal," Wright said.

Tipler was named All-State, All-Region and All-American. He had a career-high 41 points this season versus East Mississippi.

"All can see his stats, but I'm most proud of his development as a player ­ on and off the court," Wright said. "Behind the scenes, his growth as a player, his maturity, his leadership all have made him the person he is."

The coach said Tipler can "absolutely" play at the D-1 level and that Coastal Carolina is "getting a steal."

"His size has been a knock on him, but he has proven he can play against anybody in the country and compete at a high level," Wright said.

He said when it comes to one of his player's college choices as far as going to the next level, his motto is simple.

"As long as he's happy and his family's happy, I'm happy," Wright said. "DeAnthony has my full support. I'm excited for him."

Tipler played for coach Rolley Tipler at Ashland. He had a stellar career there, which included leading the Blue Devils to back-to-back Class 1A state championships in 2016 and 2017.

Rolley Tipler, now the head coach at Pontotoc, is proud of his former star player. He actually coached Tipler in elementary, junior high and senior high (fifth through 12th grades).

"I'm really happy for him," Rolley Tipler said. "He's getting what he deserves.

"It's great to see him do so well at Northeast and now move on to Coastal Carolina. This kid is special ­ just like I knew he was all along.

"It's every coach's dream to see one of your kids keep playing at the next level. I'm anxious to follow his career at Coastal Carolina now."

He said coming out of high school, lots of colleges backed off of Tipler because of his size.

"It was hard for him, recruiting-wise, but what they didn't realize is that even though we were a 1A school, we played against 4A, 5A and 6A schools," Rolley Tipler said. "He played against some of the best athletes around. He has continued to do that at Northeast, and I know he will show everyone the gifts he has when he gets to Coastal Carolina, too."

The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers are members of the Sun Belt Conference. Other teams in the conference include Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Little Rock, Louisiana, South Alabama, Texas State, Troy, UL Monroe and UT Arlington.