Legendary MRA Coach Richard Duease announces retirement at end of season

Legendary MRA basketball coach Richard Duease announced that the upcoming hoops season will be his last before retiring.

Duease will finish his career as the winningest high school basketball coach in Mississippi history, compiling 1,851 wins between girls’ and boys’ coaching going into his final season. The 73 year-old coach also currently sits fourth all-time in the nation in wins just on the boys’ basketball side with 1,259 victories.

“Coach Duease has been the face of boys basketball in the MAIS for so long. He’s been loved by MRA fans and hopefully, at least appreciated, by fans of our rivals,” MRA Athletic Director Ross Hailey said. “He taught me basically everything I ever knew about basketball, and while I felt like I was a pretty good coach, I know I missed so many of the little things he’s been able to teach our players”

Duease has spent 50 years coaching high school basketball in Mississippi and 43 years at MRA in his career, after coming from Manchester Academy early in his career. He has totaled 41 state championships and 15 MAIS Overall state titles between coaching both girls’ and boys’ basketball.

“His knowledge of the game is incredible, but it pales in comparison to the way he has been able to help our students and players at MRA,” Hailey said.  “He has gotten the most out of teams that weren’t supposed to accomplish nearly as much as they did. The way he gets kids to put aside their selfish tendencies and play together so the team can accomplish its goals is unparalleled.”

Duease has already been inducted as a member of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and will cap off that legendary career in the 2025-2026 basketball season.

“Coach Duease has been a mentor to so many coaches at MRA, and the impact he’s had on me is immeasurable,” Hailey said. “He’s been able to impress upon coaches of all sports the importance of putting MRA first, and our coaching staff has been better because of leadership in the athletic department over all these years.”

MRA finished 17-13 and was eliminated in the first round of the MAIS 6A state tournament last season.