As a young man at Hamilton High, Revelle Williams played basketball under the legendary Ted Anderson. Later in life, the two became good friends, with Anderson frequently visiting Williams at his home in Atlanta.

So it’s a natural fit that Williams will honor his former coach Saturday in what is scheduled to be the final edition of the Memphis vs. Atlanta vs. Birmingham Roundball Classic. The event has been a fixture on the local calendar since 2008 — missing only in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions — and Williams said he’s looking forward to delivering a special finale in honor of the coach he so admired.

“Coach Anderson was the assistant in my 10th, 11th and 12th-grade years, which were 1981, ‘82 and ‘83,” said Williams of the TSSAA Hall of Famer, who died in a motorcycle accident last year at the age of 77.

Coaching icon Ted Anderson won with style and coached with a passion

“Man, coach Ted Anderson also taught American History and he was about academics first. He was very strict about academics ... and that stuck out with me because my dad was a teacher, coach and principal and my mom taught school for 40-plus years in Memphis. So that was always in alignment with me.

“No. 2, he always emphasized playing hard, playing smart and being in condition and shape. He would push you every second to make you better.” 

Anderson took over the head coaching reigns at Hamilton in 1986, coinciding with the arrival on campus of his stepson, future University of Arkansas and NBA standout Todd Day. He led the Wildcats to a state championship in 1991 with a team led by future Memphis Tigers Rodney Newsome and Marcus Nolan.

After leaving Hamilton, he went into semi-retirement before being coaxed back onto the sidelines in 2008 when Douglass High re-opened. He built the Red Devils into a consistently-strong team and retired for good in 2016 with 518 career victories, which at the time ranked ninth in Shelby-Metro annals.

Douglass will be one of the participating teams this year and at halftime of that game, Williams will make a donation to the Ted Anderson Alumni Association Fund, which provides scholarships to deserving students.

Ted Anderson, legendary Hamilton basketball coach, dies

This year’s Classic will be represented by a third city, as Birmingham Wenonah comes to town to take on Overton. Other headliners among the local contingent are Power Center Academy — which returns several key players from last year’s team that advanced to the Class A state tournament for the first time in program history — and an improved Cordova team fresh off winning last week’s MLK Classic.

Three of the area’s top seniors — Saint Louis signee Brock Vice of Houston, Overton’s Jordan Frison and Seth Grandberry of Lausanne — will be playing in the event as well Cordova’s K.J. Tenner, who finished second in the city in scoring last season at over 26 points per game. 

Lausanne will host this year’s Classic and admission is $15.

Memphis vs. Atlanta vs. Birmingham Roundball Classic

(Saturday at Lausanne)

12:30 p.m.: Power Center Academy vs. Atlanta Paideia School

2 p.m.: Overton vs. Birmingham Wenonah

3:30 p.m.: Cordova vs. Atlanta McDonough

5 p.m.: Douglass vs. Atlanta Jonesboro

6:30 p.m.: Lausanne vs. Atlanta Mount Vernon

8 p.m.: Houston vs. Atlanta Greenforest Academy