Hipps honored during RHS senior night, Sports
Rockmart High School retires No. 24.
Caroline Williams Hipps had a dream when she was young, one that she said wouldn’t have come true without the sacrifices made by those around her that showed her love and support.
Then that dream came true through years of hard work and persever- ance when Vanderbilt University brought on the Rockmart High School start after the University of Georgia got cold feet after a knee injury she sustained in high school.
10 years after graduating as one of the top scorers in Lady Commodores history and later this month to be honored in the 2018 class of SEC Legends, Hipps came home to share in another big celebration for the former Lady Jacket, with the No. 24 forever retired from the team’s lineup.
“I want to thank everyone who has been on this journey with me for a really long time,” Hipps said during a ceremony between the girls and boys game last Friday night at Rockmart High School. She added her thanks to her parents, coaches, teachers and administrators for being there to help when she was blossoming into a big star on the basketball court.
Met at half court by her cousins Mollie and Me- gan Little with a shadow box of her jersey and other items, Hipps told the crowd after getting to hear from her former coach Peggy Holland that she only achieved her dream of playing college basketball with the help of those who supported her from the start.
Most importantly, she said she was glad to represent her hometown as an ambassador to the world.
“People ask me all the time, because in Nashville I have an accent and people want to know where I’m from,” she said. “I say that I’m from Rockmart, Georgia, and I can tell you I’m always proud to say I’m from this hometown.”
Holland had her own special story to tell during the presentation, recounting Hipps’ first game as an eighth-grader having passed up the opportunity to score more than she should have. After encouraging her to use her talents, Holland said that “2,310 points later, she actually was very coachable.”
Holland said Hipps told her she didn’t want to be a ball hog.
“15 years ago tonight, it was her senior night and we were here honoring her,” Holland said. “You just heard all the great accolades she got through her career, but more importantly Caroline being athletically included, she was selfmotivated, she was goal oriented, and she was a team player. Above all of that she could have been a prima donna athlete with all the newspaper articles... she remained humble.”
The former Lady Jacket will be remembered for generations to come with her name and former number on a banner also unveiled during last week’s ceremony.
She is the first the high school has honored for former athletics achievements as the Yellow Jackets sports programs seeks to find former players in all areas who went on to college or set school records for recognition in a Hall of Fame.
Hipps, who played for the Lady Jackets during her 1999-2003 high school career, remains the record holder for the most career points scored by a Lady Jacket.
She was also named the Rome News-Tribune Player of the Year for 3 years, among many other notable accomplishments during her time at Rockmart.
She was also recently announced to be added to the SEC’s 2018 Class of Women’s Legends for her time at Vanderbilt. Those honors will be bestowed upon her and others in the class during the SEC tournament being held February 28 through March 4.
During her four years as a Lady Commodore, Hipps helped lead Vanderbilt to two SEC tournament championships and four NCAA tournament appearanc- es with a 99-33 overall record.
She went on to become a 1,000-point career scorer and evolve into the Dores’ most lethal 3-point shooter in program history. Hipps left Vanderbilt as the school and SEC record-holder in career 3-point percentage (.465), a mark that today ranks fifth all-time in NCAA Division I basketball.
Hipps also went on to a very brief career in the WNBA, serving with the Minnesota Lynx before she was cut from the squad in 2008 following her career’s end at Vanderbilt.
These days, Hipps’ isn’t working on the court anymore.
Hipps resides in Nashville as director of business development at Wellspire, handling the medical group’s professional networking and client management.
Hipps also added that with her visit home, she was glad to see the progress made by Rockmart’s sports programs in the past years.
‘People ask me all the time, because in Nashville I have an accent and people want to know where I’m from. I say that I’m from Rockmart, Georgia, and I can tell you I’m always proud to say I’m from this hometown.’
Caroline Williams Hipps Former Rockmart basketball player