Pollard Inducted into Hall of Fame

TIMOTHY POLLARD

Inducted into Mississippi Association of Community College Sports Hall of Fame.

“The fans gave me the confidence to make me believe in myself. Whenever I jumped to shoot the ball, the fans would stand up in the gym and shout woo-hoo!” This is one memory Timothy Pollard will never forget.

Pollard’s legacy not only lives on the campus of Coahoma Community College but in the hearts of Clarksdale residents. Just when fans believed he could not make them any prouder, he achieved more glorious points with all the hard work he exhibited while being a Tiger. Pollard was inducted into the Mississippi Community and Junior Colleges Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2020.

The award ceremony began in 2007 with an aim to highlight and recognize outstanding coaches and athletes from community and junior colleges for their tremendous success. Amazingly, Pollard was chosen not only for his accomplishments as a player, but also for his contributions as an assistant coach at Coahoma from 1990-1994. Pollard said he became overwhelmed with joy when he received the news that he was going to be inducted. “It was a dream that came true for a small country boy like me. It is such a big honor to be recognized by the entire state of Mississippi,” said Pollard.

The former Tiger was born in Jonestown, Mississippi, and his family moved to Friars Point when he was five.

The 6-foot-3 shooting guard attended Coahoma Community College from 1985 to 1987 and made his everlasting mark on the entire Mississippi Junior College Athletic Association (MJCAA) by being named the best three-point shooter in the association. Pollard averaged 22.5 points during his freshman year and 24 points during his sophomore year as a Tiger.

His extensive performances while attending Coahoma are proof that Pollard deserves to have his name written in the MACJC Hall of Fame. Due to COVID-19, there was no inperson award ceremony, but Coahoma Community College president Valmadge T. Towner invited Pollard to campus to personally award him for such a great accomplishment.

“The president and I went to Coahoma together, and for him to personally present me with my award, it made me feel extremely special and appreciated,” said Pollard.

When Pollard left Coahoma in 1987, he kept his talents in the Magnolia State and enrolled to be a Delta Devil at Mississippi Valley State University. There, he would receive national attention as he dominated the country in 3-point field goals. He credits his foundation at Coahoma for transitional success at Mississippi Valley.

“Coahoma was my foundation; Coach James Washington believed in me and gave me an opportunity to shoot that ball. Coahoma prepared me for Valley because I started working on my ball handling skills, my jumps. They woke me up at 4 every morning to practice my 3-point shots,” exclaimed Pollard.

The Hall of Famer is hoping his award will motivate young basketball players to choose Coahoma.

“With me being inducted, it proves success is possible. I am from Coahoma, so they can do it too. You don’t have to go to a D1 school to be recognized, just work on your skills and you can go anywhere after Coahoma,” said Pollard.

Pollard currently lives in Olive Branch, Mississippi, and enjoys visiting campus to admire the growth of the college. He says, “I am always in awe when I visit the campus. The Pinnacle gives me chills, and I am so proud of all the updates being completed at Coahoma.”

Pollard believes Coahoma Community College is on the right track to create successful athletes who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame, like him, in years to come.

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FlairWith International

9,722 miles is the distance between Melbourne, Australia, the native home of Coahoma Community College basketball player Yohana Del, and Clarksdale, Mississippi. Wondering just how an Australian made his way to Clarksdale, or asking yourself how many other international student-athletes are living and thriving on the campus of CCC?

Del was born in South Sudan and migrated to Australia at the age of two. At 16, he came to New York City then moved to Mississippi, where he started attending Grace Baptist Academy High School. CCC men’s basketball coach Michael Stringer recruited the 6’6” power forward, who is currently a freshman Tiger.

“I adapted really well being at CCC, and I am learning every day. Coach Stringer teaches us a number of lessons on and off the court. I will take everything I learned here and move on with the added knowledge,” said Del.

Coahoma Athletics proudly boasts of having five international student-athletes on campus this year. Alongside Del, there are three members on the track team and one on the baseball team.

Any institution that educates international students exhibits a level of diversity and a willingness to accept unique cultures and habits. Coahoma is proud to be a community college that is leading the way by exerting support and resources in recruiting international students. American students also benefit from this initiative as they are placed in a learning and living situation where they interact and grow with students from around the world.

Antonio Weeks is a long jump athlete from the Caribbean island of Barbados and was originally on his way to Jackson State University when an unforeseen situation arose, hindering his attendance. “There was a new rule that required me to attend a junior college first as I needed more core subjects to attend JSU,” said Weeks.

Coahoma Community College would be the institution that would step in and offer Weeks a full track scholarship to ensure he obtains those core subjects. Once he graduates from CCC, he can then go on to fulfill his track and educational career at JSU.

Weeks is most thankful that CCC believed in his potential and trusted his previous results because most schools were aware of his talent but were nervous about giving him an opportunity due to a prior injury.

“It means a lot because I was uncertain if I would get a scholarship to any school, even a junior college because two years prior, I had broken my leg. But Coahoma believed in me and the healing process,” he said. Weeks looks forward to the upcoming season.

“I am so excited and ready to compete for CCC and break Barbados’s national long jump record of 7.90 meters,” said Weeks.

Leaving home and entering into the United States with an opportunity to compete and gain an education is a dream for a number of international students, but some students experience culture shock from being somewhere completely different.

Stayon Williams is a sprinter from Guyana, a country some residents of Clarksdale may have never heard of. His first winter in the Delta coming from his home land that experiences 80-degree temperatures year-round was a complete surprise. “The different culture from the food, the environment, adapting to training in the cold during practice, it was extremely challenging,” said Williams.

Despite the new lifestyle, Williams said Coahoma’s track coach Reggy Hankerson and the entire team have truly embraced him and given him a sense of belonging. “We can always go to our head coach, as well as our team and the staff, despite whatever is affecting you. There is someone to help,” exclaimed Williams.

Antonio Weeks

BARBADOS

Georgette Daley

JAMAICA

Stayon Williams

GUYANA

Coach Hankerson is also the athletic director of the College. He is extremely proud to be part of an institution that values the importance of representation when it comes to international students. He believes there are a number of crucial benefits to having a diverse team.

“Having international students brings a whole new aspect of training and knowledge of track and field. It also shows that our institution is supportive of furthering young athletes’ academics outside of the United States,” he explained.

Hankerson stressed the importance of the school population as a whole experiencing different cultures while mixing with these student-athletes in class or just on CCC’s campus.

“Having international athletes is amazing. They bring different training habits, eating habits, different culture, and it mixes well with the rest of the institution,” said Hankerson.

Georgette Daley is the sole female international athlete at Coahoma Community College, a Jamaican sprinter who is experiencing a once in a lifetime opportunity.

“Being here is a blessing. I have a chance to make a change. I am the first person from my family to attend college. This is an opportunity to make a difference in my community. A number of athletes from Jamaica look up to me, and I will make them proud,” said Daley.

Coahoma’s baseball team is honored to have a talented player from Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. Anyelo Marte Sanchez has been playing baseball for the last 10 years and said that even though he is far from home, he enjoys the challenge of college and the golden chance to be at CCC.

“Being the only Hispanic on the team is great. It helps me learn more English and represent my country in every game and everything I do,” said Sanchez.

Even though he greatly misses his tourist destination island home, he is focused on his baseball career and his education.

“My motivation is my degree and the desire to be a professional baseball player. I have a huge amount of faith, and I am holding on and believing in myself at CCC,” said Sanchez.

Daley says that in the end, Coahoma’s track team reflects the entire college, “a small team with big dreams that will continue to succeed.”

Keep up with Coahoma Athletics during the Spring 2021 season to witness all these international Tigers in live-action.