Super Sophomore: Guard Vernessa Hinnant, who averaged 9.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game last year as a freshman, is expected to be a key contributor to the Lady Sharks basketball team this year.
Vernessa Hinnant, one of 40 players nationwide selected to participate in the NJCAAL All-Star Junior College Weekend this summer, will be counted on to help the Lady Sharks basketball team rebound from a 20 loss season.
Hinnant, a 5-foot-10-inch guard, averaged 9.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game last year as a freshman. Her totals included a 36 point game.She was selected to the All-Southern Conference Second Team.
“I have over the years coached some tremendous players who consistently showed up every night in the games to be all they can be and do all they can to be a leader and help their teams win the Southern Conference Championships and make the trip to the FCCAA State Basketball Championship,” said Lady Sharks Head Coach Susan Summons. “Vernessa Hinnant has shown signs that she has that same potential.”
Originally from Selma, North Carolina, Hinnant has been playing basketball since she was seven-years-old. Basketball is in her blood; her mother played at Smithfield-Selma High School in North Carolina and her father played for North Carolina State University.
Hinnant played at Clayton High School in North Carolina and with the Garner Flames AAU basketball team under Head Coach Arne Morris. It was through Morris and some mutual friends of his, that Hinnant found her way to MDC.
The decision has turned out be a wise one for Hinnant, a veterinary medicine major at Kendall Campus. The sophomore is being recruited by school’s such as South Carolina State University, the University of North Florida, Wichita State University, the University of Central Florida, and North Carolina A&T..
But for now, Hinnant is focused on helping the Lady Sharks improve on a 10-20 record last year that included a 6-9 mark in Southern Conference play.
Summons believes that Hinnant’s leadership, offensive scoring, hustle, experience, and energy are all attributes that will benefit this year’s team.
Other top returning players are guards Jakia Grimsley and Channel Davis. They will be joined by freshman Jasmine Griffin, Alexis Ungro, Tyra Bolden, Yami Rodriguez and Jordyn Bond.
Hinnant believes this year’s squad is better equipped to handle the season because they communicate better and have a stronger “family bond.”
Her prognostication for the upcoming season is simple: “We are going to State.”
