MSU'S Mccraypenson gives speech with purpose in mind
MSU'S Mccray-penson gives speech with purpose in mind
She's just a few days into being a resident of the state of Mississippi, but it doesn't make Nikki Mccraypenson unqualified to do what she did recently.
There the new Mississippi State women's head basketball coach stood, just in front of the steps at the state capitol, in front of many of her colleagues from around the state of Mississippi as well as administrators and she was there for a purpose. She might not understand the full magnitude of the words that she spoke at this moment, but Mccray-penson was speaking from the heart as a Black woman from the south. Her words calling for a change of the state flag had meaning, and they helped make history.
“It was such a surreal moment, but with everything going on, to be a part of the movement was special for me,” Mccray-penson said. “I'm new to Mississippi, but we confirmed why I chose to come here and be a part of this state and be a part of Mississippi State. It's unbelievable how great this University and community is. To see everybody come together and do what was right, it was pretty special.”
Athletic Director John Cohen wanted a voice to represent MSU'S contingency that could speak directly on what the Confederate battle emblem meant to a large portion to the state and why it was important to change. Beyond the fact that Mccray-penson was wanting to have a better place for her basketball team and recruits that would follow, she wanted a better place for her son and future generations.
It wasn't an easy task for her to take the leap and stand behind the microphone, but she felt it all the more important.
“When John asked me (to speak),
I was nervous but excited at the same time,” Mccraypenson said. “I didn't know if it was something that I could do, but you just speak about your heart and it gave me a lot of confidence knowing
that our athletic director was confident in me.
“It was a special moment to be able to talk about this school, our student athletes and how it would be better for our student athletes and economy for our state.”
Before even coaching a game, Mccray-penson was a part of helping change something
that has been a part of the state of Mississippi for over 100 years. MSU was at the forefront of the change with President Mark Keenum and Cohen advocating to the legislature, Mccray-penson's powerful plea at the capitol and football running back Kylin Hill threatening a boycott if the flag wasn't removed.
Now with the decision passed along through the legislature and signed by Governor Tate Reeves, change is here and, with it, history. It means brighter days for the state of Mississippi as the state gets closer to uniting under a single flag and, hopefully, closer together as people.
From Mccray-penson's
standpoint as a coach, it also means brighter days in athletics. There will be no more postseason hosting bans coming from the Southeastern Conference and the NCAA, which means no restrictions on how far Mccray-penson's first team, and those that follow, will go.
“Now people can't talk to us about the flag in recruiting,” Mccray-penson
said. “It's put on us now to get the job done. We just have to do our job to be able to host in postseason. It's a win for us as coaches to be able to say that we represent a state that is about diversity, unity and not division. Also, being able to host is going to bring more fans and business here in Starkville. We're just thrilled about the future.”