September 24, 2018
East Central Community College alumni Aubry Cox of Carthage, a former Warrior basketball standout, and Kristin Chaney of Little Rock, a former basketball and softball standout and the college’s only two-sport All-American, will join the college’s Athletic Hall of Fame Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018, when ECCC holds its annual Homecoming festivities on the Decatur campus.
All alumni are invited to a reception hosted by the ECCC Alumni Association beginning at 3:30 p.m. in the Brackeen-Wood Gymnasium. The group’s annual business meeting and the recognition of alumni awards will begin at 4:30 p.m. in the same location.
A complete Homecoming schedule can be found at www.eccc.edu.
Aubry Cox and Kristin Chaney will be inducted into the ECCC Athletic Hall of Fame Thursday, Oct. 4. (EC Photos)
Aubry Cox (’81)
When notified of his selection to the Hall of Fame, Cox said, “I am honored to have even been nominated. When Dr. Stewart notified me, I thought he might be calling about an insurance claim. He just floored me when he told me I had been selected for the Athletic Hall of Fame. It is very humbling.”
Cox was a standout basketball player at Leake Academy for Coach Larry Therrell and also played football and participated in track. He was a member of three class AA state championship teams and his team won the Overall State Championship and Southeastern Regional in 1976-77. He was named All-District and AA All-State three times and overall All-State once. He was selected District MVP as a senior and was selected for the Mississippi Private School Association All-Star game, where he was selected MVP. He finished his career as the leading all-time scorer in Leake Academy history.
Cox signed with and played one year at Belhaven College before joining Coach Herman Robinson’s East Central Warriors for the 1980-81 season. He averaged 20.4 points and 11.2 rebounds per game and was selected the team’s Most Valuable Player.
In addition, he was selected first team MACJC All-South Division, All-Star and was the recipient of the college’s Howard K. Sessums Basketball Award.
“One of my fondest memories was playing Mississippi Delta in Moorhead just before Thanksgiving. We were tied with 15 seconds to play when I got the ball on the fast break in transition. I dunked it and got fouled. I made the free throw to give us a three-point lead, which was the final margin of victory.”
Another highlight of his career was an upset win over Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in Perkinston.
“Gulf Coast was the number one team in the South Division. We played deliberate basketball that night. Coach Robinson had told us before the game we needed to keep the game in the 50s if we wanted to win, and that’s exactly what we did, winning 52-50. I hurt my knee that night, but I managed to stay in the game. I did have to sit out the next game against Holmes, however.”
Cox had his highest scoring game against Jones County when he put up 36 points in a losing effort against the Bobcats.
“I had hurt my knee a week earlier that caused me to miss one game. This was my first game back and I tweaked it with four minutes to play. I had to leave the game at that point. We were down by a couple points and wound up losing by six or seven points. It would have been nice to stay in the game and, hopefully, get the win.”
Cox said his worst mistake was going somewhere else right out of high school, but the best decision he ever made was coming back to East Central.
“EC was good to me. Coming from a small school, you can come here and already know people and those you don’t know, you’ll know soon.”
In addition to playing basketball, Cox participated in other student activities including the Baptist Student Union and served as sports editor for The Tom-Tom student newspaper.
As with many alumni, Cox’s favorite teachers included EC legends Dr. Richard Etheridge, Mr. Raymond McMullan, and Ms. Lucille Wood, just to name a few.
“With Coach Wood, you always knew where you stood. We got along well. I knew if I just listened, I could learn something.”
Following East Central, Cox continued his athletic career at Delta State University during the 1982 and 1983 seasons, where he was selected to the All Gulf South Conference Academic Team in 1982. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in health, physical education and recreation.
Cox began his career in the insurance business soon after graduation serving as an adjuster for Alfa Insurance Agency in Jackson in 1984. He later moved to Kosciusko and served as an Alfa Insurance Agent from 1989 to 1996. He then had an opportunity to move back home to Carthage to open his own agency.
Today, Cox is owner of SouthGroup Cox, where he employs eight others and sells all types of insurance. SouthGroup Cox, along with approximately 20 other agencies, joined together in 2013 to form what is now the largest privately-owned insurance agency in Mississippi and one of the 100 largest in the United States.
Since his days as a student, Cox has maintained a relationship with the college in numerous ways. From a professional standpoint, he has been awarded the bid contract for the college’s insurance for a number of years. Personally, he serves as a member of the Foundation Board of Directors, has established two Foundation scholarships for Leake County students, which are awarded each year during the annual Scholarship Awards Reception, is a lifetime member of the Alumni Association, Warrior Club member, and is an annual sponsor of the Alumni Association’s Warrior Golf Classic.
When asked why he decided to give back to East Central, Cox said, “East Central was where I needed to be. I resisted coming here at first but getting back here got my feet back where I needed to be. It was almost like coming home. It was the right place at the right time. I believe 80 percent of students in this district would be better off getting their start here.
“When I got to the point in my life where I was able to do some things for others, I decided that if I gave my time and money to East Central, I could help students each year have the same opportunities and benefits I did. So, I made a decision a long time ago that East Central was where I was going to invest and I’ve never regretted that decision.”
Cox also is active in his community. He is a member of the Rotary Club, Carthage Main Street Association and serves as president of the Leake County Country Club.
He and his wife, Rene, have two sons, Brandon Estes and Jared Estes; a daughter-in-law Aden Estes and one grandson John Hannon Estes.
He said, “If all I had done is play ball and never kept in touch, then either I or East Central did something wrong. I believe you’re supposed to make an impact, to leave the world a better place. East Central made my life better and I hope I can have that same affect on others.”
Kristin Chaney (’05)
When asked her initial reaction to being inducted into the ECCC Athletic Hall of Fame, Chaney said, “I was on a family vacation and playing golf when Dr. Stewart called. It was very emotional and shocking, but I am honored to join such a prestigious group of former athletes in the EC Hall of Fame.”
Chaney is the college’s only two sport All-American, having earned honors as both a softball and basketball player for the Lady Warriors, and finished in second place in balloting for 2005 National Junior College Athletic Association Female Athlete of the Year.
She was recruited by the University of Southern Mississippi softball program as a senior at Newton County High School, but it was her deep desire to continue playing basketball that ultimately brought her to East Central, although she said she still loved softball and was so glad she had the opportunity to play both.
“I guess I had more natural ability at softball, it came a little easier for me, but I always dreamed of playing Division I basketball. When I got the opportunity to play for Coach (Brad) Hodge, I don’t think he saw me as a ‘big time’ basketball player, so his expectations weren’t really high. I didn’t play much in our first jamboree, but by the second game of the season I was playing more and became a starter after that.”
As a freshman, Chaney joined a Lady Warrior team that had several talented and highly recruited athletes. The 2003-04 Lady Warriors would complete what remains the most successful season in EC women’s basketball history, finishing with a 31-4 record and a No. 8 ranking in the final NJCAA poll after finishing runners-up in the consolation bracket of the NJCAA Championship. They had earned the national berth after winning both the MACJC and Region 23 Championships.
“I believed in everything he (Hodge) said and did everything he asked because I wanted to play,” Chaney said. “I would have run through a brick wall for him.”
Although she had a great relationship with Hodge, Chaney admits she did find herself on the receiving end of a stern correction at times and recalled one game in particular where Coach Hodge had to provide some “inspiration” for her to up her game.
“I was just having a horrible night. I was not playing my best ball game. He called a time out and walked out to half court and proceeded to ask me just what I thought I was doing out there, although it wasn’t in real polite words. He got on to me pretty hard. But in the end, I was glad he did because I improved my game and we won.”
Chaney proved she would do anything to play and whatever it took to win, even if that meant playing hurt or sick. One game she played with a broken nose, but that might not have been the worst night.
“I’m not sure if I had food poisoning or a virus, but 30 minutes before we were supposed to play Meridian, I was at the doctor getting a drip, two of them if I remember correctly. But I headed to the gym, suited up and started the game. I would have to come out at times, run to the back door of the gym and throw up and then would go back in to play. I finished that game and we beat MCC in overtime that night.”
During her sophomore year, Chaney would score a three-point buzzer-beater for an overtime win to advance the Lady Warriors to the championship game of the Region 23 Tournament, but a return trip to the national tournament was not meant to be as they lost 58-55 to Northwest Mississippi Community College in the finals.
Chaney said her best memories were not just of winning, but the great relationship with her East Central teammates. She shared how they spent a lot of time together both on and off the court, sometimes just riding the backroads of Newton County.
In addition to being selected a second team All-American, Chaney would finish her basketball career with numerous other accolades, including first team All-Region 2004 and 2005, first team All-State 2004 and 2005, and All-Star in 2005.
Chaney also racked up plenty of softball awards under the leadership of then ECCC head coach Scott Hill, including first team All-American 2005, second team All-American 2004, first team All-Region 2004 and 2005, first team All-State 2004 and 2005, and team most valuable player 2004 and 2005.
“Coach Hill is such a great coach,” Chaney said. “He was the fun guy who just let you enjoy and play the game. He was a jokester, but the most humble guy I know anywhere in athletics.”
Coach Hill and the Lady Warriors would win the Central Division Championship in 2004 and 2005. Chaney said her best memory was playing Meridian during her sophomore year.
“It was always a big rivalry with East Central and Meridian. They had a very good program back then, they were always very good. We played them here that year and I got the game winning hit to beat them.”
In addition to her athletic accomplishments, Chaney was selected to the East Central Community College Hall of Fame, the highest honor a student can receive at the college, was an NJCAA Academic All-American and selected for Who’s Who Among American Community College Students.
After an outstanding two seasons at East Central, Chaney would see her NCAA Division I basketball dreams become a reality when she joined Coach Joye Lee-McNelis’ Lady Eagles at the University of Southern Mississippi.
“Coach Hodge and Coach McNelis will always hold a special place in my heart because they made my dream come true,” Chaney said.
Chaney had several Division I opportunities to consider when Coach McNelis took over the reins at USM and offered her the opportunity to be a part of the Lady Eagle program.
“I wanted to stay close to home so it was just a done deal after a trip down to see them play,” Chaney said.
She was a member of the 2006 and 2007 Lady Eagle basketball teams and was selected team most valuable player both years. She also received the Lady Eagle Award in 2007 and was selected 2006-07 Female Student Athlete of the Year at USM.
She would also go on to play two years as a member of the Lady Eagle softball team while completing her master’s and bachelor’s degrees in sports administration in 2008 and 2007, respectively.
Following a stellar career as an athlete, Chaney got the opportunity to return to Decatur and join the ECCC coaching staff as an assistant for both basketball and softball.
“It definitely felt like coming home,” Chaney said. “Coach McNelis tried to hire me at Southern Miss, but I was ready to come home. I didn’t really know which sport I wanted to coach. Coach (Bill) Smith asked me to come be his assistant and that was also the first year they hired an assistant for Coach Hill, so I got the opportunity to see which I was better at. Both of them ran successful programs and I’m glad I was able to be a part of them both.”
Eventually, Chaney became a full-time softball assistant for Hill until he stepped down as head coach in 2012 and she took over as head coach, a position she held until last spring.
“I loved coaching softball. I was able to be outdoors, which I enjoyed. Coach Hill was a great guy to work for. We had a lot of fun coaching together. He let me do a lot, gave me a lot of responsibility. He had a passion to be a winner, but he also let you enjoy the process. He is such a great person to be around and always has such a great outlook on life. We worked well together.”
Chaney said perhaps the biggest challenge as head coach was making the various personalities on the team click. But it was obviously a task she was good at as her teams were consistently competitive among tough competition each year.
She completed her six seasons as head coach at East Central with 233 wins, a 75 percent winning percentage, and six trips to the post season, with the 2015 team completing the most successful in the program’s history. That year the Lady Warriors advanced to the championship game of the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II Softball National Championship before falling to Kankakee Community College 5-1.
The Lady Diamond Warriors ended their record-breaking season with a 48-14 record. In addition to finishing second at the NJCAA National Championship, the team also finished second in the South Division of Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges league play, second in the MACJC State Tournament, and runner-up in the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament.
Her 2018 team finished the season with a No. 10 national ranking, a 36-14 record, and a trip to the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament. The 2017 Lady Warriors finished with a 42-6 record and a No. 8 ranking in the final NJCAA Top 20 poll. Her 2016 team was 42-8 and ranked No. 11 in the final poll.
Chaney resigned her position as ECCC’s head softball coach last spring to accept a position in the private sector.
“I had struggled with the decision for about six months when an opportunity became available for me to be able to experience many other things in my life that I enjoy,” Chaney said.
“It was an honor and privilege to be the head softball coach at East Central. I was able to come back and give back to my alma mater that gave me so much. I took great pride every day knowing I was able to lead a program with such high standards that we have set here at East Central. I will forever bleed black and gold."
