Warrior Magazine December 2019

Hampton inducted into ECCC Athletic Hall of Fame

East Central Com munity College alumnus and former Lady War rior basketball standout Pam Green Hampton of Quitman joined a distinguished group of former athletes Oct. 17, when she was inducted into the college’s Ath letic Hall of Fame during Homecoming activities. Hampton said she was shocked and honored when she was notified of her award. “Earlier this year, I was inducted into the

won the Sub-District 6A East Championship and advanced to the South State Tourna ment. Hampton aver aged 12 points and seven assists per game that year. She was se lected All District and All Conference. During her senior year, the Lady Bobcats won the Sebasto

pol Invitational, the Cherokee Conference Tourney, and the Divi sion V-North Tourna ment, and had the best showing in school history as they finished State Runners-Up in Class 1A. Hampton averaged 10 points, six re bounds, and nine assists during the historic season and was named All Conference and All State.

Scott County Sports Hall of Fame,” said Hampton. “To be inducted into both of these the same year is one of the best feel ings ever. I played basketball at EC because I loved the game, never knowing 32 years later anything like this would ever happen. Flabbergasted would be an understate ment!” She was a standout athlete at Sebastopol Attendance Center where her love of basket ball began as a sixth grader.

“My parents in the bleachers cheering me on is a feeling I will never forget. The whole community would come to the games and cheer. Man, it was loud! We didn’t win the championship that year, but we sure made some memories.” Pace, who had coached her sophomore season at Sebas topol, was now the head coach at then East Central Junior College and signed Hampton and two of her teammates to scholarships. “He recruited all of us Sebastopol girls, Penny Graham Scott, Deborah Blaylock, and myself. People were calling ECJC Sebastopol Junior College.” She averaged seven points and four assists per game dur ing her freshman season and helped lead the Lady Warriors to a winning record. During her sophomore season, she averaged 18 points per game and 11 assists while shooting 62 percent from the three-point line, quickly earning herself the nickname “Three-Point Pam.” “I loved shooting behind that line. And I still get called that nickname from time to time,” she said. She scored a career high nine three-pointers during a game at Southwest Mississippi Community College in Sum mit on a night where even the home crowd student section got excited and began cheering for Hampton to shoot! “Coach Pace also informed me right before I left East Central that I was two three-pointers shy of the national re cord. I can’t remember what that record was, but I will never forget that,” she said. Hampton and the Lady Warriors completed the season

“My science/health teacher, Coach Tony Bell, would take us to the high school gym during recess and let us compete in layups against the boys. That is when my love for basket ball started.” Hampton participated in various activities, including bas ketball, track, and cheerleading, throughout her high school career while also maintaining stellar grades in her academic coursework. She received the hustle award her freshman year and dur ing 10th grade was named All Cherokee Conference and Best Offensive Player. She averaged 10 points and six assists per game that year. It was also during her sophomore season when their coach left during the middle of the school year and then high school principal Sammy Pace took over as head coach. “He coached us for the rest of the year,” Hampton said. “He was a great coach and I learned a lot from that man. It was not just about basketball either. He taught us a lot of life lessons.” Another coaching change came during her junior year when Truman Moore took over as head coach of the Lady Bobcats. “He was this very high-strung, loud-mouth, tobacco-chew ing, technical-receiving crazy man, but we all loved him. Because we knew he loved us and cared for us and wanted us to win.” The team continued to succeed under Coach Moore and

– HAMPTON continued on page 21

ALUMNI NEWS

15