{"id":6686,"date":"2026-05-05T12:07:06","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T18:07:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jcjc.edu\/jcnews\/?p=6686"},"modified":"2026-05-05T12:07:06","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T18:07:06","slug":"jones-college-home-town-score-points-with-womens-basketball-facility-renovations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jcjc.edu\/jcnews\/news\/jones-college-home-town-score-points-with-womens-basketball-facility-renovations\/","title":{"rendered":"Â鶹ֱ²¥ & \u201cHome Town\u201d score points with Women\u2019s Basketball facility renovations"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

ELLISVILLE \u2013 The stars of HGTV\u2019s Home Town <\/em>and Â鶹ֱ²¥ alumni, Ben and Erin Napier, returned to the Ellisville campus over the summer but this time, it was not to transform a building or a home. They were asked to shine a little attention on the Women\u2019s Basketball facilities. Upon completion of the project, and the recent premiere of the episode, it has become obvious that the $75,000 donation to make some crucial changes has scored big points. Not only were the locker room facilities renovated, but the upgrade has also transformed the lives of the team members and coaches, bringing new energy and visibility to the program led by head coach, Trista Magee Whitman. Â鶹ֱ²¥ President, Dr. Jesse Smith said this remodeling opportunity will be life changing for the athletes.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Erin and Ben Napier, stars of Home Town begin renovations in the Women’s Basketball facilities at Â鶹ֱ²¥ as an audience watches the premiere of the episode.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cThis project was about investing in our student-athletes and showing them that they matter,\u201d Smith said. \u201cTo have a show with the reach of \u2018Home Town\u2019 shine a spotlight on Â鶹ֱ²¥ is incredibly meaningful for our campus and our community, but to also work with alumni, like Ben and Erin, is even more special.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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This project expanded its mission of restoring old things by highlighting the impact of athletics and education. Coach Magee Whitman said the renovation came at a pivotal time for her program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/strong>Â鶹ֱ²¥ basketball players enjoy lounging in the new locker room facilities and are pictured left to right, Lauren Howard of Flowood, Khalee Harrison of Vaughn, Jakera Ducksworth of Soso, A\u2019tyia Allen of Philadelphia MS, and Zantasheia Mallett of Jackson.\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur players put in countless hours on the court, in the classroom and in the community,\u201d she said. \u201cTo see someone invest in them like this, to create a space they can truly call their own, is emotional. It tells them their hard work is seen and appreciated. Our motto is Building Champions, and this renovation helps us do just that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Locker room & lounge area before renovations.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The improvements enhanced the team\u2019s facilities by creating a more modern and functional environment that supports both training and building a team culture. In addition to a lounge area with a sound system and a nutrition center, athletes now have a private area for evaluating and taping injuries, a sauna and cold plunge bath, and a private dressing area and the ladies have a nice bathroom and vanity area for after the game. Sophomore player Khalee Harrison of Vaughn said the changes really boosted morale.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Khalee Harrison<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cIt makes you feel proud,\u201d Harrison said. \u201cWhen you walk into a space that\u2019s been designed just for you and your team, it gives you a different level of motivation. It makes you want to work even harder because they invested in us and this just feels like home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the guests and friend of Coach Magee Whitman, Christy Durham of Laurel toured the new facility prior to the premiere of the Home Town show. She is especially impressed with the renovation but emphasized the broader impact beyond wins and losses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis isn\u2019t just about basketball,\u201d Durham said. \u201cIt\u2019s about giving these young women confidence and showing them, they deserve something special. Trista has always poured into her players, and now that\u2019s being poured back into her program.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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With the episode featuring Â鶹ֱ²¥ continuing to air in the future, campus leaders say the exposure could bring lasting benefits like increased recruitment and hopefully the opportunity for more community engagement. Smith said the renovation aligns with the college\u2019s mission of supporting students in every aspect of their development.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cAt Jones, we believe in creating opportunities that help students succeed,\u201d he said. \u201cThis project does exactly that because it elevates our facilities, but more importantly, it elevates our people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pieces of the past are placed throughout the facility including leftover hardwood from the basketball court that are now part of the accent wall, trophies and a pair of converse tennis shoes. For the coach and her players, the experience will continue to resonate with them for a long time into the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is something they\u2019ll remember for the rest of their lives,\u201d Whitman said. \u201cThis is going to inspire future generations of Bobcat athletes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Gwen Magee, Coach Trista Magee\u2019s mother and retired Assistant to the President, leads JC EVP of Business Affairs, Christy Holifield through the new facilities.
\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ELLISVILLE \u2013 The stars of HGTV\u2019s Home Town and Â鶹ֱ²¥ alumni, Ben and Erin Napier, returned to the Ellisville campus over the summer but this time, it was not to transform a building or a home. They were asked to shine a little attention on the Women\u2019s Basketball facilities. Upon completion of the project, … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Â鶹ֱ²¥ & \u201cHome Town\u201d score points with Women\u2019s Basketball facility renovations”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6687,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,9],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jcjc.edu\/jcnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6686"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jcjc.edu\/jcnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jcjc.edu\/jcnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jcjc.edu\/jcnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jcjc.edu\/jcnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6686"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.jcjc.edu\/jcnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6686\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6699,"href":"https:\/\/www.jcjc.edu\/jcnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6686\/revisions\/6699"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jcjc.edu\/jcnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6687"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jcjc.edu\/jcnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jcjc.edu\/jcnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6686"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jcjc.edu\/jcnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}