A little more than a year and three months after Pine Bluff won its second straight Class 5A boys’ basketball state championship, the Zebras got their rings Saturday night.
Deriyon Graydon, who was a junior on the 2024 championship team, said getting his ring was worth the wait.
“It just gave me a lot of flashbacks from the memories we had from that season,” Graydon said. “I’m just grateful to finally get the ring.”
The rings commemorate Pine Bluff’s 68-63 victory against 5A South rival Benton on March 8, 2024, at the Bank OZK Arena in Hot Springs.
Benton, which responded by winning the 2025 state championship earlier this year, led by as much as 37-23 in the second quarter of the 2024 finals. The Zebras outscored the Panthers 16-9 in the fourth quarter to come from behind and win the title.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
That championship came a year after Pine Bluff defeated Lake Hamilton 67-51 in the 2023 state finals. Braylen Hall, like Graydon, was a key contributor on both championship teams. He was a senior in 2024.
“Looking back on it now, it’s actually crazy how it happened,” Hall said. “Especially the second one. That was one to remember. … What it took to get to the championship, and how we played the championship game. We faced adversity, and we just overcame it.”
The Pine Bluff Zebra Athletic Club helped pay for the rings. Club president Jason Lovell spoke during Saturday’s awards banquet and mentioned the booster club received a $10,000 donation just days after he had a conversation with Dixon about the rings and whether the club, which was founded in November 2023, had the money to help.
Head coach Billy Dixon said many people may not realize the school district can’t pay for the rings itself because of restrictions on how public funds may be spent. Dixon, who is also the district’s athletic director, said athletics must earn its own money through concessions sales and fundraisers. He and assistant superintendent Kelvin Gragg sometimes visit with potential sponsors to help pay for these types of projects.
“That’s difficult, too, because the district is in partnership with so many local businesses, and they’re getting hit up not just by Pine Bluff, they’re getting hit up by everybody that’s here in Jefferson County,” Dixon said. “So, it’s huge and big when someone does come in and says, ‘Hey, we’re going to help you guys out.’ They see the value in these kids.”
He said his goal is to develop a funding plan so potential future championship teams won’t have to wait as long to get their rings.
The players and coaches weren’t alone in receiving rings. Dixon also presented rings to school administrators and others who have worked hard to support the Zebras.
Team manager and “No. 1 Zebra fan” Greg Walker received one of the biggest cheers of the night as he walked to the front to receive his ring. Volunteer assistant Trenton Harris received a glowing review from Dixon for his hard work, and Gragg announced at the end of the banquet he intended to give Harris a paid position moving forward.
Dixon also praised retired teacher and coach Laydell Jordan, who will receive a ring for taking the time to drive the team bus to and from every game.
“What I love is my district, my administration support those kinds of things with those people,” Dixon said. “That’s why Mr. Gragg and (PBHS principal Ronald) Laurent had that conversation. That’s what it should be about in terms of making a difference, giving back to those people who give so much, because this is so difficult to do by yourself. You gotta have help and support in making this work, and that’s what we had.”
PBHS passed out the rings during an awards banquet held in honor of both the championship-winning 2024 team and last year’s team.
Not every member of the 2024 team was able to attend, but family members were present to represent the absent players as Dixon announced various team awards. Some were for on-court accomplishments, but Dixon also made a point to honor the players who achieved a GPA of 3.0 or better, with special recognition given to 4.0 student-athletes.
