What spurs Coach Yo, Ole Miss women's basketball to help kids get school supplies in Oxford

OXFORD ― Even amid some light rain, the Oxford Housing Authority bustled with activity Thursday night.

Hair clippers buzzed and face-paint brushes whirred at a back-to-school drive hosted by Ole Miss women's basketball coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin .

Between Thursday's event and another scheduled for 5 p.m. Friday in Grenada, McPhee-McCuin said her foundation is prepared to distribute up to 500 free backpacks for children between kindergarten and sixth grade. Kids also received free haircuts and snow cones, among other things.

"It's important to give back," McPhee-McCuin told the Clarion Ledger. "Something that I'm passionate about, being able to give back to the community, but also making sure that I'm setting an example for my players. You see (Madison Scott), she's had several initiatives. They come out with no hesitation. I just think people in the community need it, and I want to be able to help for whatever they need."

The Ole Miss players and coaching staff, including Scott, were in attendance. So was former Rebels player Marquesha Davis, a first-round draft pick of the WNBA's New York Liberty this spring.

Davis is hosting a charity event of her own in her hometown of McGehee, Arkansas, this weekend, she said. She plans to give away school supplies there, noting that she took inspiration from McPhee-McCuin's efforts in the community during her time with the Rebels.

This marked the second consecutive year that McPhee-McCuin hosted the back-to-school event. The funds for the school supplies distributed — which included items such as water bottles and pencil bags — came from a gala her foundation hosted last winter, she said.

Her passion for helping youth comes from watching her parents do the same in her native Bahamas.

"Just watching them do it at a young age and now I have an opportunity," she said. "I feel blessed."

BASEBALL LATEST: Hunter Elliott spurns MLB Draft, announces intent to return to Ole Miss baseball

David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.

Get the latest news and insight on SEC football by subscribing to the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: What spurs Coach Yo, Ole Miss women's basketball to help kids get school supplies in Oxford