Camariyah (C.C.) Butler is the unquestioned leader of the Leland Lady Cubs this season.
Butler, a 5-foot-3 guard who has been starting for Leland since the eighth grade, leads mostly by example, both on and off the court.
Butler 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, Patansy Miller-Hampton, and encourages her teammates when they do something positive.
“I am a pretty quiet most of the time, but now that I am a senior I am talking to them a lot more and trying to help,” Butler said. “Coach tells me that I need to speak up because she says the players listen to me more than they do her.”
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 currently taking advanced placement calculus. She is considering a career as an accountant.
Coach Miller-Hampton said it has been a total blessing to be able to coach Butler these last five seasons.
After defeating O’Bannon 68-35 last Tuesday night, the Lady Cubs currently have a five-game winning streak. Leland’s record stood at 19-5 and 7-1 in district play as they headed into their road game at Coahoma County Friday night.
Butler deserves a lot of the credit for her team’s success this season, Coach Miller-Hampton said.
Butler is averaging 17 points, seven rebounds and seven assists this season.
The coach also is confident that Butler’s fine play will continue once the post season begins in the next few weeks.
Butler said she is up to the challenge.
“I know there is a lot of pressure on me, but I have been playing on this team since I was in the eighth grade so I am sort of used to it,” she said. “I think that we can definitley win state this year. We have what it takes. We just have to keep working hard and believe in one each other.”
Butler’s parents, Constance Butler and Cameron Baker, both played basketball at O’Bannon High School, and Butler took up the game when she was just five years old.
“I remember that I wasn’t a good shooter, but I just kept working hard to make myself better,” she said.
Butler describes herself as mature for her age and she thinks that is because she spends a lot of time setting an example to her younger siblings.
Butler has a special relationship with her 5-year-old sister, Calajah, who she spends many hours with in her family’s driveway shooting hoops.
“When we are shooting, Calajah tells me that she is going to be even better than me,” Butler said. “I always tell her that I hope she is.”
