Greenville High School Honeybees senior forward Quintaria McCray had known for almost a week that she would be interviewed for a Delta Democrat-Times feature article during a Wednesday afternoon practice. What she didn’t know was that assistant coach Glen Ford would require her to convert a free throw before she could be excused for a few minutes to answer a few questions. She calmly stepped to the line, and the ball caught all net as the plucked through the basket. This simple moment of pressure summed up how McCray has handled her move from Riverside to Greenville High.
“At first I was a little nervous going from a 2A school to a 6A school,” she recalled.
“I had been at Riverside since my 7th grade year and really grew up at Riverside.”
Mixed emotions characterized her early experience. Her father Quintarius McCray was named the head football coach at Greenville High which is the pinnacle for anyone who has ever been associated with the team as a player or coach. While family and friends celebrated the elder McCray’s new position, he never forgot to consider his daughter who had just one more year remaining in school. She was conflicted between the familiar surroundings of the school, the coaches and her teammates.
“My dad told me that it was my choice whether or not I wanted to attend Greenville High or not,” McCray said. “My father is my biggest supporter, and I decided to come to Greenville High.”
Any doubts or reservations about moving from 2A to 6A have been put to rest. Moving from Riverside to Greenville High, McCray has improved head coach Dakedreon Lampkin’s front court and averaged 13 points, 10 rebounds and four assists a game. Her versatility and experience have complimented a basketball program that has been one of the best in the state over the past four seasons.
“The action at this level is a little faster, but I’ve adjusted,” she said. “Coach Lampkin is a fantastic coach who works us very hard and makes sure we understand the smallest details about the game. I love learning and developing my game more under his leadership.”
McCray said that math is her favorite subject and away from the court she likes spending time with friends and family. She aspires to play college basketball next season but is undecided where that will be. For now, she does see the potential for her and the Honeybees to make a deep run into the state playoffs this year. “This is a very talented team that has the chance to win a lot of games this year,” she said. “I won’t make any predictions other than the Honeybees hustling and competing every time we play.”
