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The NJCAA Tournament-bound EMCC Lady Lions recently took time out of their busy schedules to participate in East Kemper Elementary School’s ‘Read across America’ program as part of Dr. Seuss’s birthday celebration.
While making preparations for last week’s NJCAA Region 23 Women’s Basketball Tournament played at Mississippi College, EMCC women’s basketball coach Sharon Thompson wanted her players to have a refreshing change of pace from their daily school responsibilities and basketball practice commitments. In celebration of Dr. Seuss’s birthday, the Lady Lions visited East Kemper Elementary School in Scooba to participate in the school’s ‘Read across America’ program. Thompson and her EMCC women’s team read several of the famous Dr. Seuss children’s books to the students.
“This was a great opportunity for our players to show the community that they are more than just basketball players,” Thompson said. “It was an exciting day for our players as well as for the kids at East Kemper Elementary School. We had as much fun as they did. This was a terrific way for us as a team to give back to this great community that continues to be so supportive of East Mississippi Community College and our athletics program.”
Dr. Seuss’s birthday is annually set aside for schools and communities to come together to promote and support reading in our public schools. At East Kemper, children in kindergarten through third grade wore pajamas to school in honor of the special day, while the students in fourth grade through sixth grade wore crazy socks in support of the reading program.
The 24-5 EMCC Lady Lions capped their busy week by knocking off three opponents in as many days, including MACJC state champion Jones County and ninth-ranked Copiah-Lincoln, to capture the NJCAA Region 23 title and advance to next week’s (March 17-21) NJCAA Division I Women’s Basketball National Championship in Salina, Kan. Seeded 12th and making the school’s first NJCAA Tournament appearance since 1978, East Mississippi opens tournament play Wednesday (March 18) at noon by taking on fifth-seeded and undefeated Walters State Community College out of Morristown, Tenn. The five-day tournament will be played at the Bicentennial Center in Salina.