Jaitra Abrams didn’t realize her potential.
After playing volleyball for four years in high school, Abrams didn’t believe she was capable of playing at the next level.
All it took was a little “fussing” from a former Mississippi State University volleyball coach Tina Seals to show Abrams she could accomplish so much more.
“She said, ‘I see a lot of potential in you. I see a light in you,’ ” Abrams said. “I was like, ‘OK.’ I didn’t know. I didn’t know my ability until she just pushed it out of me.”
Seals’ encouragement opened a path for Abrams to play club volleyball with the Shoals Attack 18-Royal team, where she had an opportunity to showcase her skills and potential to college coaches.
The Columbus High School graduate took the next step Saturday when she signed a scholarship to play volleyball at Snead State Community College in Boaz, Ala.
Abrams, the sister of Jasmine Abrams, a standout basketball player at Columbus High, East Mississippi Community College, and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, signed her scholarship in a ceremony at the Mississippi University for Women’s Stark Recreation Center.
“Jaitra is a good example of someone who worked hard and someone who is able to go on,” said Seals, who coached at MSU from 2004-08. She said Abrams is the first player since she re-organized the volleyball club to sign a scholarship to play the sport in college. “She is a hard worker and a great kid. It was hard on her to make the trips to Alabama, and we went all over. She had a lot of interest and we took her to a lot of schools.”
Abrams thanked plenty of people for helping her get a chance to sign a scholarship to play in college. She thanked her family members, Seals, Mississippi Juniors coach Elizabeth Salstrand, who helped her prepare for the ACT, a standardized test, and her friends for providing support.
Snead State C.C. coach Dee Ayres, who was a player at the University of North Alabama and was hired in January, said Seals recruited her as a player and then contacted her about Abrams. She said she watched Abrams play at a tournament in Muscle Shoals, Ala., and was impressed with her potential.
“Jaitra is a great blocker,” Ayres said. “We wanted speed, big girls, big blocks, big hitters, and I really think Jaitra will do that for us.”
Ayres said Abrams has court vision that gives her confidence to feel she has a lot of room to grow as a player.
“I think she has that natural talent as far as seeing the floor and knowing what to do,” Ayres said. “We’re going to fine-tune everything so she can reach her potential. There is a lot there. She has the build of a volleyball player and she has the mind to see the game. I think she will do really well with some of our hard work and training.”
It’s easy to tell Abrams agrees. When she spoke to her friends and family Saturday after signing, she thanked Seals for all of the “fussing” she did to her. She said Seals’ interest showed her how much she can accomplish on and off the court if she remains focused and continues to work hard.
“She was a part of my life,” Abrams said. “She was there to help me with everything. She would tell me, ‘C’mon Jaitra, you’re slacking, so you have to pick it up.’ ”
Abrams liked volleyball when she started playing as a freshman. She said she grew to enjoy the sport even more playing for former Columbus High volleyball coach Shay Ashford, who was her coach when she was a sophomore and a junior. She said it didn’t hit her that she could play in college until she joined the Shoals Attack volleyball club for this past season.
“It was an eye-opener,” Abrams said.
Now Abrams has even more to imagine — and a different road to take — thanks to volleyball.
“It is exciting,” Abrams said. “I am going to college. This is a big step in my life. … I thought about going to college, but the more I get close to it it is like, ‘Wow, I am going to college on my own.’ “
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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