Queen's of the Hardwood to honor Rickman

Piggott volleyball coach Melissa Williams has been chosen to serve as assistant coach for the east team in the upcoming third annual "Queens of the Hardwood" volleyball game at Westside High School. The event, which is held to raise money for City Youth Ministries in Jonesboro, will feature an all-star match involving 22 seniors from 13 different teams. Between games the participants will take a moment to honor Erica Rickman and present a plaque to the Rickman family.

Rickman, a 2007 PHS grad, took part in the first "Queens of the Hardwood" event at Jonesboro High School along with teammate Kourtney Toombs. The following year, as she was battling the disease, she attended the event and those in attendance offered a word of prayer for her recovery.

For Williams it will be a bittersweet occasion as she has the honor of coaching some of the top talent in the region, as assistant to Valley View Blazer coach Margie McGee--but the evening will also serve as closure for the loss of "Rick" who lost her battle with brain cancer back in February.

The east squad will be taking on the north team in the five match set, which is coached by Jonesboro High School's JoBeth Mathis and her assistant Darlene Bowlin of Greene County Tech. The east team took the win in the first year of the competition, with the north securing bragging rights last year.

Players on the east team come from Harrisburg, Paragould, Westside, Nettleton and Valley View while the north squad is made up of players from Jonesboro High, Greene County Tech, Brookland, Crowley's Ridge Academy, Trumann, Wynne, Marion and West Memphis.

The evening will get underway at 6 p.m. with a Junior Olympic match, followed by the senior girls at 7:00. Tickets are $10 each and will be on sale at the door the night of the event.