In late February, East Mississippi Community College sophomore guard Tye Metcalf had a week to remember.
EMCC women’s basketball coach Sharon Thompson hasn’t forgotten the schools the Lions beat to claim the MACJC championship on back-to-back-to-back days from Feb. 25 to Feb. 27.
Mississippi Gulf Coast. Southwest Mississippi. Jones College.
The characteristics Metcalf showed as EMCC won its 17th, 18th and 19th consecutive games and the state title remain in Thompson’s mind, too.
Offense. Defense. Leadership.
“She was just solid,” Thompson said. “She was a big key to us pulling that state tournament off and winning it.”
On Wednesday, Metcalf — a two-year starter for the Lions — made a pledge to bring her scoring, playmaking and team-leading skills to the next level. She has signed with NCAA Division I program Southern University, a Southwestern Athletic Conference member located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
“I’m very excited and very blessed,” Metcalf said. “This is a dream come true.”
She told The Dispatch on Monday that she wanted to play Division I basketball since she started playing the sport, and as of next season, she’ll have that chance. Metcalf said she chose the Jaguars over fellow SWAC schools Prairie View A&M, Mississippi Valley State and Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Division II schools Arkansas-Monticello and Arkansas Tech also offered scholarships.
But ultimately, Metcalf chose to play for Southern, partially because the school offered the chance to live in a larger city. She is from Southaven, near Memphis, and liked that aspect of Southern.
“I feel like it was a great fit for me,” Metcalf said.
With the NJCAA’s current recruiting dead period, Metcalf had to make her choice before ever being able to set foot in Baton Rouge, let alone the SU campus. The school sent her a video for a virtual tour, allowing Metcalf to learn about her potential future home that way.
“It felt very family oriented,” she said. “That’s what I liked the most about it.”
Metcalf said she developed close relationships with the coaching staff at Southern, which Thompson said was on her sophomore guard “off the bat,” along with Prairie View A&M.
The longtime Lions coach and first-year athletic director said she is happy for Metcalf and other players who have developed their skills in Scooba and gone on to play for Division I programs.
“I really, really appreciate from the bottom of my heart kids who choose to attend East Mississippi Community College,” Thompson said.
Discussing Metcalf’s signing with The Dispatch on Monday, Thompson mentioned a quote from boxer Muhammad Ali: “A man who views the world the same at 50 as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.”
The coach said she has adapted the saying for her players, telling them that their mentality by the time they reach their sophomore seasons should be much improved from their mindset as freshmen.
Metcalf, Thompson said, embodied that improvement. After making the all-MACJC first team as a freshman, the guard made the NJCAA all-region team this season and won national player of the week for her efforts in the state tournament.
Thompson said Metcalf’s signing is a “bittersweet situation”: The coach will miss Metcalf and the talent and leadership skills the guard brought to Scooba, but she’s happy for her player’s opportunity at the next level.
“We’re sad to see her go, but at the same time, we’re glad she’s able to embark on a new chapter in her career,” Thompson said.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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