Jackson Free Press

Murrah High School basketball great Jesse Pate passed away on Friday, May 29, from a spinal meningitis infection at the age of 41. Pate won two state titles, was Mr. Basketball in 1993 and is the fourth leading scorer in Murrah history at 22.7 points per game.

Support a great legacy and cause. The fifth annual 5K Walk for Mike is Saturday, June 6, starting at 8 a.m., in downtown Jackson. The walk is $20 to register. All proceeds go towards the Michael D. Johnson Memorial Foundation Scholarship, which awards $1,500 in college tuition funds to a Jackson Public Schools student-athlete.

A special memorial service for legendary Alcorn State University head basketball coach Dave Whitney will be Saturday, June 6, at noon at the Davey L. Whitney HPER Complex on the Alcorn campus in Lorman, Miss. Whitney led the Braves to 12 SWAC championships as head coach. He died on May 10 at the age of 85.

The Mississippi Braves wrap up a 10-game home stand June 3-5 at Trustmark Park (1 Braves Way, Pearl). They return Thursday July 11 - 15 to play against the Biloxi Shuckers.

Jackson Preparatory School product and Ole Miss great Jonathan Randolph completed his best two-week stretch of his PGA Tour rookie season. He finished T-20 at the Wells Fargo Invitational, followed by a T-34 at the Byron Nelson Classic on May 28-31.

Sports Bouts of the Week

by Jon Wiener

The NBA Finals pits LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers against league MVP Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors. Game one is Thursday, June 4, at 8 p.m. All games will be on ABC.

Don't miss American Pharoah's race for history in the Belmont Stakes, Saturday, June 6, at 5 p.m. on NBA. Pharoah is looking to the first horse since 1978 to claim the coveted Triple Crown.

The biggest prize in professional soccer is up for grabs on Saturday, June 6, in the Champions League final (Barcelona vs. Juventus) at 1:45 p.m. on the Fox Network.

Tennis, anyone? The French Open concludes Friday, June 5-Sunday, June 7, on NBC.