The last time the Southern Miss women's' basketball team found itself in its current position was the last time the Lady Eagles made the postseason.
The last time the Southern Miss women's' basketball team found itself in its current position was the last time the Lady Eagles made the postseason.
In the 2016-2017 season, the Lady Eagles were led by all-time great Brittanny Dinkins. Now three years later, the Lady Eagles turn to their new leader – Shonte Hailes.
Hailes, like Dinkins, is both the team's statistical and team leader.
Interestingly enough, the Lady Eagles' current 11-7, 3-4 mark was the exact same mark the 2016-2017 team was at before finishing 23-11, runner-up of the C-USA tournament and earning an appearance in the NIT tournament.
Back in 2016, Hailes was just a freshman and began to come into her own in the second half of the 2017 season that helped Southern Miss make a postseason run.
The biggest lesson Hailes learned from her then teammate was leadership.
"[Dinkins] and Coach McNelis instilled [leadership] in me," McNelis said. "My freshman year, like most players, I was a quiet one. [Dinkins] forced me to talk. At the time, I felt it wasn't my position to talk."
For Hailes, the journey to her current role with the team was not the easiest. Especially after nearly quitting on the first day of school during her freshman year. According to Hailes, she struggled to adjust from making the leap between playing in high school to summer conditioning.
"I was the new kid on campus," Hailes said. "Me and Respect [Leaphart] were here for the summer. It was tough.
"We went from being the best players, probably in our area code to being the worst players on the team. Every day in conditioning we were dead last. On the court we were getting bullied. They were doing what they were supposed to do, but we were freshmen."
Hailes wanted to quit but was afraid to tell her coaches, which turned into a wild story of hiding from her coach from under her bed.
"I went home and I was afraid," Hailes said. "I called my high school coach and said I'm not going to Southern Miss. I'd rather go to junior college and get a taste of the water. I told my mom that and she said ‘It’s your decision, but you have to call Coach McNelis and tell her because I am not.’
"I texted her and she freaked out. She called and I wouldn't answer. Coach Pauline Love was knocking on my door. My mom [was there] and said go tell your coach and I said tell them I'm not here. My mom opened the door and said she's in that room. I'm watching her feet. She's looking in the closet and I'm under the bed. My mom said she's under the bed and she told me to get my butt up and its time to go. We packed my clothes up and I cried. I missed the first day of practice and I missed the first day of school."
However, after the now laughable incident, Hailes and McNelis began to develop a bond through a cup of ice cream.
"Coach McNelis took me out to Bops," McNelis said. "She got me ice cream because she knew I liked it. She told me it was going to be a rollercoaster and that's why [she's] here. When we had that talk it helped me out. I felt like I could trust her. What head coach is going to send somebody to there and pick up a student? I knew then and there that this was the place for me."
After finishing her freshman year averaging 7.3 points per game Hailes was thrust into a leadership role which according to McNellis is still something that Hailes is not fully comfortable with.
But the trust between McNelis and Hailes took a further step. Hailes grandmother gave her the nickname Dump. Unexpectedly, McNelis began to call Hailes by her grandma's nickname which helped mold their trust further.
"She was the first coach to call me by my nickname," Hailes, who is on pace, tie her coach in USM's all-time leading scorer's list, said. "When I first got here, the girls told me Coach McNelis wasn't big on nicknames. She would come up with her own nicknames if you had a long name. I knew she wasn't going to say Shonte, but I never thought she would say Dump. She started calling me Dump and I was shocked because I would never have thought that.
"It almost is [like having trust]. Everyone else calls me Shonte except when Coach McNelis does when she's mad. It's a trust thing."
In both Hailes' sophomore and junior years, she continued to juggle and struggle with her role as a leader for the team but continued developing her role. In both seasons, Hailes had to deal with a pair of high ankle sprains with both tests her leadership skills.
According to teammate Respect Leaphart, who has played with Hailes since freshman year, Hailes growth has been remarkable to watch and is a testament to her character and work ethic as an athlete.
"She's like a comeback kid," Leaphart said. "She doesn't let anything deter her from her goal. She knows where she wants to be and where she wants to go so she never lets anything get in her way of it. That's what I admire about her. She never lets anything stop her. If she has something to get done, then she is going to come back and get it done.
"[The difference for Hailes] I think is growth and knowing to fulfill your role. We talk big about fulfilling your role. Knowing that she is a big part of this organization as well a couple other people on the team but she has a lot of role and responsibilities she has to care of and be our leading scorer and our floor general. She has to fulfill that role and she knows that. She takes it on well."
Despite Hailes' rollercoaster experiences, for McNelis, Hailes' growth has been a significant factor in her team's current success.
"It's been fun to watch her grow," McNelis said. "Dump has been that player that we have had to challenge and had to push. This year we have played her a little bit more at the two spot and she has had to face different challenges when people lock her down. However, in crunch times at games, we have had to put her at the one to be able to hold the ball and control it
"She has to carry a lot of pressure on her shoulders to be able to be that difference-maker. She has grown in a lot of ways from the first time she entered campus. She has been a star for our program and a big difference for us and I think that is really huge when you look at her growth overall. The big difference for her is her growth, personally, academically, socially and athletically and has come in and taken some ownership of this team."
Despite having multiple ups and downs as a player, for Hailes, it has been an experience she would not trade.
"[It's been] tough but perfect at the same time," Hailes said "I remember my freshman year, I was waiting for the season to over. I wanted it to be over desperately. Sophomore and junior years were definitely my learning years. Coach McNelis instilled a lot of stuff in me [especially] perfect. She wanted it from me and eventually I had to stop fighting with her and just let her instill that in me. I feel that it has really helped me throughout these four years."
