Walneika Holmes made history for women’s basketball at Coahoma Community College by becoming the team’s first player to receive a Division I scholarship in exactly 24 years.
Holmes, a 2017 Coahoma County High School graduate, signed with Jackson State University on Thursday, May 2, 2019. Twenty-four years earlier to the day, on May 2, 1995, Lady Tigers guard Tonya Norman also signed with Jackson State. Norman played under coach Ella Morris.
Holmes is a shooting guard and averaged 17 points and six rebounds per game in 2018-19. She played in the MACJC all-star game, was on the All-Region 23 women’s basketball team and the All-State MACJC North first team. She averaged 21 points as a freshman at CCC.
“It feels like home,” said Holmes of her visit to Jackson State. “The visit was great. They showed me a lot of stuff. They’re close to God and I’ve got to keep God first in my life.”
Holmes had two very different experiences for the Lady Red Panthers and Lady Tigers, but both made her into a better basketball player.
She grew up behind the house of her cousin and high school basketball coach Derrick Moore. She has been playing basketball since fourth grade at Sherard Elementary School.
“He stepped up and he was like a father to me and he pushed me and made sure I never slacked,” said Holmes of Moore.
Holmes started as a freshman for CCHS and her teams advanced to the state tournament three of her four years in high school.
Moore saw Holmes had a strong work ethic and ability early on.
“From personal experience, she’s always playing,” Moore said. “She’s always playing pickup games at the house, always shooting around. She’s always actively involved in basketball.
“She’s been winning ever since the fourth grade. She stepped on the court and won a championship in elementary.”
CCC did not have a winning tradition, but Holmes signed with the Lady Tigers two years ago hoping to make a difference.
“CCC means a lot to me,” Holmes said “When I was graduating high school, everybody was like, ‘Why are you choosing CCC? CCC has got a losing streak.’ But I wanted to make a difference.”
The Lady Tigers doubled their conference wins to two in 2018-19 and increased their win total to seven. Holmes’ best game was a loss at Holmes Community College where she scored 29 points by going 11 for 15 from the field, being perfect from free-throw line and making most of her 3-pointers.
“We always knew we could win,” Holmes said. “We just had to face the fact and come together as one.”
Holmes, who is an athletic training and sports medicine major, has a GPA above 3.0 and the team GPA was 3.5.
Just one year ago in 2017-18, the Lady Tigers team GPA was 2.0.
CCC head coach Stephanie Murphy and assistant coach Isaiah Butler completed their first year with the Lady Tigers and came in with a plan to turn the program around athletically and academically.
Much of the culture change began with Holmes.
“I didn’t know anything about her,” said Murphy reflecting on when she was first hired. “I called a couple of coaches in the north and they were telling me about the different players we had returning. Every coach I talked to, they mentioned the Holmes kid, the Holmes.”
Murphy recalled speaking with Holmes on phone shortly after taking the position.
As well as Holmes played in high school and as a CCC freshman, Murphy challenged her to break bad habits.
“She always had the passion and the confidence to score on offense,” Murphy said. “I think our challenge was take that same pride on the defensive end.”
Murphy said Holmes bought in and now has a chance to further her education at Jackson State.
“She broke us in quite bit,” Murphy said. “It was a transition all the way around with the mindset we had.”
Butler agreed.
“The talent was always there,” he said. “We just had to get mind to believe what we were telling her to do she could actually do. Once she got it in herself that she could be the best on offense and be the best on defense and work hard each day, that transition made it easier when she worked each day.”
Murphy expects Holmes to succeed at Jackson State.
“If she goes up there with the right mindset, works hard in practice and continues to be coachable and works hard on her defense, she’ll play well,” Murphy said.
