‘Now the respect is there’: Ameshya Williams-Holliday’s WNBA draft selection opening doors for HBCU prospects
After Ameshya Williams-Holliday's agent called with the good news, her name flashed on the television screen and the excitement in the room with her family was loud and intense, according to Jackson State coach Tomekia Reed.
"Just to see her name on the TV, she started crying. She couldn't stop crying," Reed said. "Her contact lenses came out. Her husband said, 'You're about to make me cry.' It was just so exciting to experience that. And for me, I was like so super shocked. I was screaming and jumping, my legs were shaking, I was just so excited for her."
It was an emotional and historic moment. Williams-Holliday was selected 25th overall by the Indiana Fever in the third round of the WNBA draft. The 6-foot-4 center became the first HBCU player to be selected in the WNBA Draft in two decades.
"It was crazy. I was nervous since I woke up. It felt unbelievable and it seems unreal. I just know I have unfinished business to keep going," said Williams-Holliday.
Reed said Williams' selection will help open the door for HBCU players to get more opportunities in the WNBA. She's the sixth HBCU player drafted since the WNBA began in 1997, and the first since Andrea Gardner (Howard), Amba Kongolo (North Carolina Central), and Jacylyn Winfield (Southern) were selected in 2002.
" I talked about knocking down doors before, and this is a door that's been knocked down. She's going to create opportunities for other players behind her, not just at Jackson State but in our HBCU community," said Reed.
Williams-Holliday won SWAC Player of the Year and SWAC defensive player of the year en route to leading Jackson State to the NCAA Tournament, where Jackson State gave LSU a scare before falling in the first round.
"Now the respect is there, so now the doors are open and that gives other players opportunities, said Reed. “And also, when we play against other HBCUs and other great players we can talk about those players and help them get drafted to the WNBA.”
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WHAT HAPPENED AGAINST LSU: Jackson State women's basketball falls short of historic upset of LSU in NCAA Tournament
AMESHYA'S BACKSTORY: Former Mississippi State player reemerges as mother, student-athlete at Jackson State
The 6-foot-4 post player began her college career at Mississippi State. She left and nearly gave up basketball before she built a relationship with Reed that led to her enrolling at JSU. She was pregnant with her son Jace at the time, but Reed honored the scholarship offer and Holliday went on to have a stellar career at JSU.
Williams-Holliday averaged 19.2 points and 11.4 rebounds in 2021-22. JSU went 48-3 in SWAC play during her three years in Jackson. She helped Jackson State earn a No. 14 seed in the NCAA Tournament, which was the program's highest seed since the tournament expanded to its current amount of teams.
“I’m just happy I went back to school and changed my life around,” Williams-Holliday said.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ameshya Williams-Holliday picked by Indiana Fever in 2022 WNBA Draft
