Andre Payne has never listened to music by Mötley Crüe, but he can certainly relate to one of the rock band’s most popular power ballads — “Home Sweet Home.”
That’s where his road-weary Mississippi Valley State basketball team finally finds itself. After 14 straight away games to open the 2016-2017 season, the Delta Devils play their first official game at the newly remodeled R.W. Harrison HPER Complex.
“Man, we are more than thrilled to be at home finally,” said Payne, in his third year as the MVSU head coach. “And I believe our fans are just as happy. We expect a great crowd to be waiting on us.”
Fans who haven’t already gotten a chance to see the upgrades can do so Saturday when Valley hosts Alabama A&M at 4 p.m. in Itta Bena. MVSU has played its home games for the last two years at the Leflore County Civic Center while the renovation was being completed.
MVSU is among a handful of lower-level Division I teams that lead a nomadic existence during non-conference play, traveling to play road games with guaranteed payouts.
Valley’s non-conference basketball schedule consisted of 13 games over eight weeks in 12 cities that ranged from Seattle to Lynchburg, Virginia.
“We’re 20 points down when we walk through the door, so we’ve got to be 20 points better just to have a chance,” Payne said.
But it gives MVSU a chance to boost its athletic department coffers.
Payne says that Mississippi Valley’s schedule — which included road games at Indiana, Gonzaga, West Virginia, Michigan State and Iowa State — earned the program a total profit of about $800,000.
“I’m a team player, so I understand why we do this,” Payne said. “And since this is the situation, we make the best of it.”
Valley dropped to 0-14 on the season Monday with a 105-91 loss at Arkansas-Pine Bluff in its SWAC opener. Isaac Williams made back-to-back 3-pointers in that one to give MVSU a 52-47 lead, but the Devils were outscored 58-39 the rest of the way.
The Delta Devils hope the friendly confines of the HPER Complex can help them get on the right track against Alabama A&M, which also comes in winless. The Bulldogs (0-12, 0-1) lost 63-51 Monday in their league opener against Jackson State.
Matthew Cotton was the lone Alabama A&M player to reach double figures with 10 points as the Bulldogs made 14-of-45 field goals for 31 percent.
No matter what, one of these struggling teams will get its first win of the season and avoid an 0-2 start in conference play.
The Valley women will play A&M at 2 p.m.
They are coming off a 73-63 win over Pine Bluff in which Christina Reed scored 23 points, giving her 971 career points in her four years at Valley.
