By Robert Wilson
Northwest Rankin’s Malia McCelleis is one of those quiet leaders, who shows up every night, scores points and plays great defense.
And the 5-foot-4 junior guard did it again last week in one of the biggest games of the season.
McCelleis had 17 points to lead Northwest Rankin to a 45-39 victory over Rankin County rival Brandon for the MHSAA Class 7A, Region 3 championship at Brandon.
For her outstanding performance, McCelleis has been named the Legacy Theaters Flowood/Metro Jackson Girls Basketball Player of the Week.
McCelleis had 17 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal in the win over Brandon, and she had 11 points, 4 steals, 1 rebound and 1 assist while playing only the first half in a 56-25 victory over Pearl in the semifinals of the region tournament.
McCelleis – a member of the Tatum and Wade/Mississippi Scoreboard Preseason Metro Jackson Elite 11 Team – is averaging 13.9 points, 3.5 steals, 3 rebounds and 2 assists this season entering this week for Northwest Rankin, which has a 23-7 record and is ranked No. 9 in Mississippi and No. 4 in MHSAA Class 7A.
McCelleis was recently named the MVP for the region.
“Malia is the quiet leader for our team,” Northwest Rankin coach Tamekia Brown said. “She is the kid who gives everything that she has every times touches the floor. It doesn’t matter if it’s practice or a game. Malia was vital to our win in the Brandon game because she played tough defense on their point guard all night and still managed to hit some big shots for us as well as helped manage the game late. I think her IQ and her leadership has improved most from last year to this year. Malia is student of the game and is always learning and growing as a player. I challenged her to be more vocal this season and she has grown into her voice. The players trust her and listen to her.”
McCelleis averaged 16.7 points, 4.1 steals, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists and helped Northwest Rankin to a 22-6 record and the MHSAA Class 7A semifinals last season as a sophomore.
She was a member of the Tatum and Wade/MSB Metro Jackson first team last season.
McCelleis scored a career-high 28 points against Oak Grove last season.
“Malia is one of the best players I’ve ever coached,” said Brown, who won her 400th game this season and has been a head coach for in her 24 seasons, two at Northwest Rankin, seven at Madison Central, 11 at Velma Jackson and four at Yazoo City. “She makes an impact on the game on both offense and defense. She is a two-year captain for us, has been the leading scorer for the past two seasons and led us in several other statistical categories last season. Not only does she work hard, she has a high IQ for the game. Malia is a joy to coach and so much fun of watch play the game. She is a versatile player and she plays both the point guard position and the shooting guard position.”
McCelleis has offers from Mississippi University for Women, Copiah-Lincoln Community College, East Mississippi CC, Itawamba CC and St. Clair, Michigan, CC.
She joined the MS All-In AAU 17U program for the upcoming season.
McCelleis is the daughter of Nikki and Michael McCelleis. Nikki was on the dance team at Murrah High and graduated from Southern Miss, Belhaven and Delta State. She is the President and CEO of the United Way of the Capital Area in Jackson. Michael played football and ran track at Murrah High and graduated from Southern Miss. Her brother, Nicholas, played basketball and ran track at Northwest Rankin and is a senior at Alcorn State, and aspires to be a high school basketball coach.
Northwest Rankin plays host to Gulfport, the No. 4 seed from Region 4, Friday at 6 p.m. in the first round game of the MHSAA Class 7A playoffs at Northwest Rankin.
Mississippi Scoreboard selects a girls basketball player from Hinds, Madison, or Rankin counties each week. Coaches can nominate a player by sending a text to Robert Wilson at 601.506.2276.
PREVIOUS PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
WEEK ONE: Liz Stevens, East Rankin Academy
WEEK TWO: Ella Jackson, Hartfield Academy
WEEK THREE: Ayla Benson, Madison Central
WEEK FOUR: Shamira Morton, Canton
WEEK FIVE: Laylah Johnson, Pisgah
WEEK SIX: Alayah Bolden, Madison Central
WEEK SEVEN: Shamira Morton, Canton
WEEK EIGHT: Karley Robinson, Madison Central
WEEK NINE: Liz Stevens, East Rankin Academy
