Coach Andrews reflects on her time at Holmes

Holmes Community College Head Women's Basketball Coach Jamilah Andrews recently announced that the 2020 season was her last at Holmes, and that she and her family would be relocating to the Atlanta area.

Coach Andrews has served as head coach the last nine years and as assistant coach prior to being named head coach. Her teams participated in the state tournament five times and the Region XXIII Tournament four times including this year's game vs. Southwest Mississippi Community College.

She was chosen as the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) Coach of the Year in 2018 as her team went on to win the MACJC North Division Championship. Andrews had the privilege to coach former professional athlete and NJCAA All-American player, Aja Williams.

Coach Andrews holds a master's degree in Physical Education from the University of West Alabama. She has a bachelor's degree in Human Environmental Sciences from the University of Alabama. She played professionally in Spain following her playing career at Alabama. Prior to Alabama, she played two seasons for Louisiana State University and made appearance to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen as a freshman and Elite Eight and as a sophomore.

At Alabama, Andrews was named Co-Captain of her team and was the only senior to start every game for the Tide averaging 11.5 points and 7.8 rebounds. During her senior season at the Capstone, she received accolades for the team's best in field goal percentage, team leading rebounder, and team leader in blocked shots. Within the SEC, Andrews was ranked 7th in rebounding and 10th in blocked shots in 2002-03.

"Holmes Community College and Holmes County as a whole has been very good to our family," Coach Andrews said. "We have met some amazing people and have built some lifelong friendships. Just because we are relocating does not mean that we are going to forget about Holmes County. I am so grateful for the opportunity of being named the Head Women's Basketball Coach at Holmes. I am confident that the program will continue going in the right direction."

"The most rewarding thing about coaching was being able to make a difference in my players' lives," Coach Andrews said. "While we have had players from all walks of life and backgrounds to come here, being able to instill in them the importance of education and overall life skills has been joyous not that I did not love my job as a basketball coach."

She said one of her most memorable moments occurred in 2018 when her program had 10 graduates. "That was very special," she said. "A lot of times athletes go to school and they just think ball, ball, ball, but again, I wanted my girls to understand that their academics came first."

Coach Andrews said, "Being employed at Holmes had a family like atmosphere. The thing I will miss the most are my coworkers. Not only do we have a work relationship, but we know each other's families, children and parents."

She and her family will be moving to Georgia at the end of this week, and she will go to work with her brother and sister-in-law in their marketing business, Twenty and 3. Twenty and 3 works closely with entrepreneurs, bloggers, small businesses, and large corporate clients – building and elevating brands. She will be helping with the websites and photography side of the business.

Coach Andrews said making the move now was very important for her entire family. Her daughters, Carleigh and Kelsi, have established themselves on the basketball court in the state of Mississippi and moving to the Atlanta area will be very important in their advancement in the sport.

Andrews is very proud of her daughters and feel as if the transition will be fine as Carleigh is ranked number in her 2022 class and already has 20 hours of college credits completed. She will be an upcoming senior this season and has scored 949 points during her high school career at Holmes County Central. Kelsi, a 6'4 seventh grader, is also a straight "A" student who led the state of Mississippi in blocks with 105 averaging over five blocks per game. Both girls helped lead Holmes County Central advance to the 5A State Championship game this season but came up a little short in the championship game versus Laurel. While Khloe, the youngest of the 3, is only a third grader, the expectations are high for her as well.

Her husband, Carlos, serves as the fitness center director and intramural director on the Goodman Campus. Over the years, he has helped the women's basketball team with the fitness and conditioning as well.

"It's definitely a better opportunity for the girls and more exposure for them. As for Carlos and me, it will be more opportunities," Coach Andrews said. Both Carleigh and Kelsi play AAU basketball and play for the Finest Basketball Club (FBC), which is headquartered in Atlanta.

"It's based out of Atlanta so that will be easier for us," she said. "We have been traveling back and forth in the summers to Atlanta and all over states. Kelsi was named a "Blue Star", so we went to Tampa last year."

"Again, the move is going to very different for the girls, but I feel as if they will easily adjust as they are accustomed to traveling," Coach Andrews said. "I am sure they are going to miss their coaches, teammates, friends, the country living, attending my practices and being around the players. Carleigh is more reserved and is slowly warming up to the idea of relocating; however, the other two are excited and ready to go. They'll take on anything. As long as we are one unit, the girls are good. They will miss the freedom to roam as they have grown up being known as 'campus kids'."

"I've always talked to them about being in the coaching arena and how change is possible. I have tried my best to prepare them for that, but this is home for them. Even though they were born in different states (Carleigh in Alabama, Kelsi in Texas, and Khloe in Mississippi), this is all they've known."

Coach Andrews said she is thankful that she had the opportunity to learn from former head coach, Ron Aldy. She said he would see things on the floor that she could not when she first started coaching. "He taught me a lot," Coach Andrews said. "I remember the players would go up and down the floor about four or five times, and Coach Aldy would stop practice and correct each trip. I remember thinking to myself, 'I didn't see any of that. Maybe I'm watching for the wrong thing.' I would ask him, what should I be watching for, and he would tell me. Most of the time when I was in practice, I would sit back and observe him coaching. At times, Coach Clay has looked at me the same way I looked at Coach Aldy. It became easier throughout the years."

Coach Andrews wants to be remembered for her genuine care and love for her players on and off the court. "As a coach, the one thing I have told my players was that I wanted them to remember me by the fact that I generally cared," Coach Andrews said. "This wasn't just a job for me, it was a ministry and I have enjoyed it so much.

"I have three daughters; therefore, I always told myself I was going to treat my players like I would want someone to treat my daughters." She said she's had players come in, and it just didn't work out and they transferred to other schools. "I told these players, 'just because you do not fit our program does mean you will not fit in another program'. I always tried to speak life and never wanted a kid to feel like I was throwing them away. I wanted to give them a chance."

She said when she was in college, she did not know the importance of competing for a grade point average, that is why she was so adamant about educating her players on their academics how grade point averages will follow you for the rest of your life. "Everything that I learned about succeeding in life, I taught them."

She not only encourages her players to graduate with an associate's and bachelor's degree, but she advises them to get a post-graduate degree as well through graduate assistantship positions. "I tell them that if they do everything they are supposed to do as a person and as a player, it will increase their chances of getting those positions." These players are literally like my babies. When my players hurt, I hurt. When they messed up, it is like my own kids and it bothered me."

Coach Andrews said just because she has no plans to coach right now does not mean that we will not see her back on the sidelines at some point. "Right now, I just want to sit back and enjoy my family," she said. "That does not mean that I won't get back into coaching. The entire time I have been coaching, I've been running and running. I just want the opportunity to be a parent and to sit in the stands and cheer for my kids. I just want that summer or however long. Whichever direction God takes me, I am willing to go."

On Tuesday, the women's basketball team and Assistant Coach Amber Clay had a going away party for Coach Andrews. A large crowd gathered of her current and former players, friends and co-workers inside Frank Branch Coliseum.

"I had no clue about the party," Andrews said. "They did an excellent job keeping that from me. Coach Clay called me and said the girls wanted me to come over to the gym. Even my daughters didn't say anything."

She said when they were driving to the gym, she saw her parents but didn't think anything about it. She knew they were coming to Goodman anyway. "When the lights came on, I thought to myself, 'This is crazy'. It blew my mind. I cried and cried. I got a million of responses on Facebook, and I haven't been able to respond to everyone yet. Goodman has been home for 13 year while it is hard to part ways, it is time."