Mississippi News

Funeral service for Lusia “Lucy” Harris set for Feb. 5

Published

3 years ago

February 1, 2022

Funeral service for Lusia “Lucy” Harris set for Feb. 5

by Molly Minta, Mississippi Today
February 1, 2022

Delta State University has announced funeral arrangements for Lusia “Lucy” Harris Stewart, the basketball legend who led the university to three consecutive national championships and became the first Black woman inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

A funeral service will be held on Saturday, Feb. 5 at 11 a.m. in the Walter Sillers Coliseum at Delta State University. Visitation will be held the day prior from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Bethesda Five Points Center in Greenwood.

Harris, a native of Minter City, Miss., was the only Black woman on Delta State’s Lady Statesmen when she led the team to its first national title in 1975. A year later, the 6-foot-3 center scored the first basket in Olympic womens’ basketball history at the Montreal Games.

“Now that’s a record that’ll never be broken,” Harris said in “The Queen of Basketball,” a 2021 documentary about her life.

There was no WNBA league when Harris graduated from Delta State in 1977, so she married her high school sweetheart, George Stewart. She turned down an offer to play with the New Orleans Jazz and took a job coaching basketball at Amanda Elzy High School in Greenwood, where she had learned to play the game.

“Lucy was truly the first superstar of the women’s game,” Langston Rogers, the Delta State sports information director in the 1970s, told Mississippi Today’s Rick Cleveland. “She just dominated. Nobody could dominate a game like Lucy could.”

Harris passed away at age 66 on Wednesday, Jan. 18, in a therapy facility in Mound Bayou.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Mississippi News

Ole Miss women get pair of double-doubles and roll to 83-65 March Madness win over Ball State

Published

2 weeks ago

March 22, 2025

Staff Editor

www.wjtv.com – The Associated Press – 2025-03-22 09:03:00

SUMMARY: Mississippi coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin found solace in returning to a different arena in Waco, Texas, following a disappointing previous tournament experience. The No. 5 seed Ole Miss Rebels redeemed themselves with an 83-65 victory over 12th-seeded Ball State in the NCAA Tournament’s first round. Starr Jacobs led the Rebels with 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Kennedy Todd-Williams and Madison Scott each scored 15 points. Ole Miss dominated rebounding, leading 52-32, and will face fourth-seeded Baylor next. Coach McPhee-McCuin noted the team’s evolution since their last visit and the significance of playing in Texas, where Jacobs feels at home.

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Mississippi News

Events happening this weekend in Mississippi: March 21-23

Published

2 weeks ago

March 21, 2025

Staff Editor

www.wjtv.com – Kaitlin Howell – 2025-03-21 08:59:00

SUMMARY: This weekend (March 21-23), Mississippi offers a range of exciting events. Highlights include Hal’s Marching MALfunction Second Line Stomp and Jessie Robinson’s blues performance in Jackson, as well as the Natchez Food & Wine Festival and the Natchez Little Theatre’s production of *This Side of Crazy*. There are also numerous exhibitions like *Of Salt and Spirit: Black Quilters in the American South* in Jackson and *Gold in the Hills* in Vicksburg. Other events include the 48th Annual Crawfish Classic Tennis Tournament in Hattiesburg, karaoke nights in Laurel, and a variety of family-friendly activities across the state.

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Mississippi News

Events happening this weekend in Mississippi: March 14-16

Published

3 weeks ago

March 14, 2025

Staff Editor

www.wjtv.com – Kaitlin Howell – 2025-03-14 07:26:00

SUMMARY: This weekend (March 14-16) in Mississippi offers a variety of events. In Jackson, iconic saxophonist Boney James performs at the convention center, while the JXN Food & Wine festival showcases culinary talents. The LeFleur Museum District hosts a “Week of Wonder,” and several exhibitions, including “Of Salt and Spirit,” celebrate Black quilters. Natchez features the Spring Pilgrimage tours, a reenactment of Annie Stewart’s story, and a St. Patrick’s Day celebration. In Hattiesburg, comedian Rob Schneider performs, and various events like a St. Patrick’s Day pub crawl and a talent show will take place throughout the area.

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