LELAND — As a senior, Camariyah (C.C.) Butler was the unquestioned leader of the Leland High School girls basketball team last season.
And, while school is now over because of the coronavirus crisis, Camariyah is still exhibiting strong leadership to both her teammates and her younger brothers and sisters.
“I am still keeping in contact with all my teammates, especially the younger ones,” Camariyah said. “They text me for advise, and I try to help them as much as I can. I try to help them to balance their lives in order to make it through this situation. I also tell them to stay safe, and be careful when you need to come in contact with people.”
A catcher and a shortstop, Camariyah’s softball season ended before her Leland team played a single game.
“It is sad that we did not get a chance to play the season, but that is part of life and part of growing up,” she said. “Sometimes you can’t always get everything you want.”
While Camariyah is leading many of her teammates remotely, she is helping her siblings who she lives with every day. While babysitting, she is modeling to them how to be a mature young person.
Camariyah has a special relationship with her 5-year-old sister Calaijah. Calaijah hopes to one day grow up to be a basketball star like her sister.
The two sisters have spent many hours these last two months practicing their basketball skills at their hoop in their driveway. Camariyah is also helping her 10-year-old brother Carmeloe hone his basketball skills during this time. They have played many games of HORSE and 21 together, she said.
“This time is so special to us because we get to grow closer together,” Camariyah said. “Even though I am sad that I did not get to finish my senior year of high school, being able to spend so much time with my brothers and sisters is quite a blessing.”
Despite being just 5-foot-3, Camariyah has been a leader on the Lady Cub basketball team since she was in eighth grader. In the winter, she averaged 18 points, eight rebounds and eight assists a game to help lead the Lady Cubs to a 21-9 record.
Leland basketball coach Patansy Miller-Hampton said what makes Camariyah such a great leader is that she comes to practice each day and puts in the hours of work it takes to improve.
“She listens to the instruction given by her coach, and encourages her teammates when they do something positive,” coach Miller-Hampton said during the stretch run of the season.
In the classroom, Butler has a 3.5 GPA, which ranks her in the top 10 of her class. Butler’s favorite subject is math, and she is considering a career as an accountant. She said she hopes to attend either Alcorn State University or the University of Southern Mississippi in the fall, and hopes to play basketball in college.
