Northeast Mississippi Community College Athletics

Jessica Hooker was part of a special group that helped legendary Northeast Mississippi Community College women's basketball coach Ricky Ford reach the promised land one last time in his storied career.

Hooker and the Lady Tigers secured the 2006 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region 23 title with a thrilling 74-73 victory over Copiah-Lincoln Community College.

Northeast overcame a late deficit thanks in part to a game-high 25 points from Hooker. Her efforts lifted the Lady Tigers to their first NJCAA tournament appearance since the 1986-87 national championship season.

Hooker was named to the All-Region 23 Tournament team. She added a team-best 20 points as Northeast beat longtime rival Northwest Mississippi Community College for the fourth time that year in the semifinal round.

The Lady Tigers also snapped an eight-year drought between Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) championships. Hooker produced 30 points in another title matchup with Co-Lin.

Hooker accounted for a combined 41 points during national tournament contests in Salina, Kan., against the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith (UAFS) and Trinity Valley (Texas) Community College.

Northeast entered the playoffs with momentum after a sensational 86-81 double overtime triumph over Northwest that wrapped up the MACJC North Division crown. Hooker had 35 points in the post to pace all players in the contest.

The Brownsville, Tenn., native was recognized as a NJCAA All-American at the conclusion of that season. She topped the Lady Tigers with 22.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.

Her points average was the eight best in the entire country. Hooker also connected on 60.9 percent of her field goal attempts, which came in at ninth in the NJCAA.

Northeast checked in at No. 21 in the final NJCAA ratings before nationals. The Lady Tigers as a whole ranked 15th in the country with 81 points per contest and 18th with a 49.9 overall shooting percentage.

Hooker was selected by her peers as a team captain prior to her phenomenal sophomore campaign. She closed her career at Northeast by participating in the MACJC All-Star Game at East Central Community College.

She was an All-Region 23 performer and a two-time all-conference recipient. Hooker led the Lady Tigers as a freshman as well with a 60.5 field goal percentage.

Northeast started her inaugural year on campus with a No. 8 preseason ranking from the NJCAA. The Lady Tigers backed that up by winning more than 20 games and advancing to the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament semifinals.

Among Hooker's best performances as a newcomer include a game-high 18 points in a top 10 victory over sixth-rated East Central and 11 points in a dominant decision at archrival Itawamba Community College.

The Lady Tigers' cumulative record with Hooker on its roster was 45-11. She was leading the country going into the national tournament in free throws made and attempted.

Hooker concluded her basketball journey at McNeese State (La.) University. She guided the Cowgirls to a 10-win improvement between her junior and senior years.

She was presented with the Frances T. King Memorial Rebound Award in 2007 and the Coaches Award in 2009 by McNeese State. She still has the eighth best career three-point percentage in program history at .353.