Bio

As the most veteran member of East Mississippi Community College’s athletics staff, former All-SEC Mississippi State University basketball player and longtime EMCC women’s basketball coach Sharon Thompson has spent more than two decades of dedicated service on the Scooba campus. Having retired from her coaching duties following the 2021-22 season, Thompson is set to begin her sixth year working in an administrative capacity at EMCC. She currently serves in an expanded administrative role as EMCC’s Director of Athletics and Dean of Students/Scooba Campus.

Thompson, a 2021 MSU Sports Hall of Fame inductee, has spent the past five years serving as the college’s AD after taking on additional administrative duties in January 2020, while at the same time winding down her successful 21-year coaching career with the Lady Lions. Thompson served 17 seasons as women’s head coach after spending her first four years in Scooba as the program’s assistant coach under the guidance of EMCC Sports Hall of Fame member Dale Peay.

Administratively during Thompson’s first five years overseeing East Mississippi’s athletics department, the Lions have enjoyed success both athletically and academically. During her watch, EMCC’s athletics landscape has increased to 11 competitive sports programs with this year’s addition of women’s golf plus the reinstatement of men’s and women’s soccer as well as men’s golf. Along with overseeing recent sport additions and enabling improvements to EMCC’s athletics facilities, Thompson has been instrumental in hiring processes for head coaches in women’s basketball, soccer, softball, and golf. Also under her leadership, EMCC has earned NJCAA Academic Team of the Year honors in men’s basketball (2023-24), football (2022-23), and softball (2020-21).

Recent highlights within the EMCC sports scene under Thompson’s supervision have included a ninth conference championship during a 15-year span for EMCC’s five-time national champion football program. In addition, the Lions claimed a pair of men’s basketball conference tournament titles within a four-year span, while EMCC’s baseball team has made consecutive postseason appearances the past three seasons.

Displaying her commitment to excellence in leadership within the Mississippi community college system, Thompson graduated from the prestigious Mississippi Community College Leadership Academy (MCCLA) this past year.

Having previously compiled a 17-year head coaching record of 215-189 at EMCC, Thompson guided the 2019-20 Lady Lions to the school’s first women’s basketball conference championship since 1983-84 with a 24-3 overall record that featured a 19-game winning streak and included an undefeated division slate. The two-time MACCC Coach of the Year previously guided the Lady Lions to an NJCAA Region 23 Tournament championship and NJCAA Tournament appearance in 2009. For her efforts that season, she also earned the honor of participating as a court coach during the 2009 USA Basketball National Team Trials.

In addition to being selected to Mississippi State’s Sports M-Club Hall of Fame, Thompson was also previously chosen to the SEC Greats Program in 2005. An SEC All-Freshman pick as a rookie, Thompson went on to claim second-team all-league honors as a junior and capped her MSU career as a first-team All-SEC recipient in 1997-98. She completed her MSU playing days as the Bulldogs’ all-time leading rebounder (936) and No. 2 scorer (1,526 pts) at the time.

On the heels of her standout playing career at Mississippi State, Thompson was the No. 6 pick overall in the 1998 American Basketball League Draft. She played the 1998-99 season with the ABL’s San Jose Lasers in California and spent 1999-2000 playing professionally in Italy.

A native of Geiger, Alabama, Thompson received her bachelor’s degree in educational psychology from MSU. She earned her master’s degree in physical education from the University of West Alabama.