Melyia Grayson is a young lady of very few words.
Described as a ‘gentle giant’, the 6-foot-4 sophomore lets her game do her talking, and the Hattiesburg Lady Tigers saw the benefits of that all of last season. Along with being an inside presence on both ends, Grayson can handle the ball and shoot it.
On the court and off it, she’s the total package, said Lady Tiger head coach Caronica DeBose Jackson.
“She [Grayson] is a quiet kid. Nothing bothers her. If it does, you don’t know about it. She’s a good kid to coach, and we really depend on her a lot. She’s a skilled big girl that’s just a good kid all-around.”
Grayson helped the Lady Tigers capture their first-ever state championship this past season. In 32 games, she averaged 14 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocks, all of which were team-leading.
“This season was probably one of the best I’ve had. I had fun this year,” Grayson said. “Me and my teammates, we did what we had to do to win all our games.”
For her success, Grayson has been named our Sports601 Hattiesburg Girls Basketball Player of the Year.
“It feels good that my work is paying off,” Grayson added.
Jackson attributes last season as a big stepping stone for Grayson’s fast-tracked development. As just a freshman, she averaged right at 10 points and 6 rebounds a game.
“She [Grayson] has grown. I think that goes a lot with position work and working on footwork,” Jackson explained. “Just different things that we feel could make a difference in the game. She was always here on time, and she got that extra work in. I definitely think it pays off.”
It certainly paid off for the Lady Tigers, who won a 48-47 thriller over West Jones in the Class 5A State Championship game just two weeks ago. Grayson finished with a near triple-double in the win with 9 points, 16 rebounds and 8 blocks.
That stat line will not be what she remembers most about that game though. It will have to be the dogpile that followed the final buzzer or the feeling of hoisting the gold ball.
Truth be told, Grayson and the Lady Tigers expected nothing less.
“I knew we would [win it]. Me and my teammates always paid attention. We knew we’d go far this year.”
