The RoundHouse | 1/3/2019 4:32:00 PM

 
Before and after the tears at drop-off day, Jaida Hampton wanted to explore life outside of Michigan. Before and after the tears, Brigida Beverly, her mother and best friend, wanted the same for her daughter.
 
Drop-off day at college is often an emotional test, especially when a mother is sending her daughter off to do things for both of them.
 
"It was rough," Beverly said. "I cried. She kind of made jokes and video-taped me. I did cry, in the dorm. I cried in the car. My sister was with me, and she cried, too."
 
Months later, the tears are gone and Hampton is midway through a freshman season that is progressing nicely for Wichita State women's basketball. Her mom noticed her smiling in recent locker room pictures, a sign that her daughter, often stoic on the court, is comfortable and enjoying her new team.
 
"I think the team is growing through every game," Hampton said. "Going into conference play, we're at an OK stage to where by the end of the season we should be where we need to be."
 
The Shockers (7-6) open American Athletic Conference play at Tulsa (6-7) on Friday. Hampton, a 5-foot-10 guard from Lansing, Mich., is playing the best basketball of the season after scoring 16 points in Sunday's 66-50 win over Savannah State. She averages 11.6 points over her past five games while shooting 45.5 percent. After a three-game stretch in which she committed 10 turnovers with one assist, she recorded six assists and one turnover in the past two games.
 
"She was, like most freshmen, thinking a lot," Wichita State coach Keitha Adams said. "You're trying to learn the new system. Instead of reacting and playing, you're thinking. She's getting more and more of a feel from us in terms of what we want from her – being aggressive, rebounding more."
 
Hampton, who averages 8.3 points this season, credits her improvement and Wichita State's progress to reducing turnovers and better shot selection. She is trusting the offense to help her get good shots and learning that a few passes and movement can turn a guarded shot into an open shot. That helps against bigger, stronger, more experienced defenders.
 
Hampton made 6 of 10 shots in Sunday's win and all three of her three-pointers. For the season, she is shooting 37 percent from three-point range, 10 of 27 after a 1-for-9 start. She is also an excellent foul shooter (80 percent) and Adams wants her to get to the line more often.
 
"In the beginning, I would try and look for my shot and then I learned to let the play develop, let the defense break down and that's when you'll be able to get a better shot," Hampton said. "We've all gotten better at that."
 
Beverly is watching from Michigan as her daughter goes through the freshman ups and downs, 900 miles from home. 
 
They talk and text daily and often use FaceTime. Beverly came to Wichita for the preseason scrimmage and an exhibition game. She traveled to Las Vegas last month to watch the Shockers play Northwestern and Washington State. Cincinnati is the closest road destination (316 miles) and she hopes to organize a trip with family and friends.
 
Hampton, who earned 2018 Miss Michigan honors at East Lansing High, had offers to play basketball at Western Michigan, Central Michigan and Detroit. Together, they decided leaving the comforts of home seemed right. 
 
"This was a good opportunity for me to get away from what I've been around for 17 years and be able to come here and experience four years in another part of the country," Hampton said. "I like the community aspect of (Wichita) and I live the people here. It's been really good to meet new people and see how other people live in different parts."
 
Beverly played high school basketball. She stayed in Michigan, giving up the sport to work, while she attended junior college and Michigan State University. While she didn't push her daughter to attend Wichita State, she didn't want her to feel obligated to stay close to home.
 
"I told her there's more to life than just Michigan," Beverly said. "I was going to leave after I graduated college, but I ended up having her, so I never left. I always told her 'You can always come back. But if you don't ever leave, you don't know what's out there.'"
 
Hampton and Beverly realized playing time was available after the Shockers lost nine lettermen from the 2017-18 team. Adams recruited Michigan – selling warm weather – while at UTEP and made a similar pitch for Wichita State.
 
"It's just me and my mom, and they made her feel really safe," Hampton said. "They promised they would take care of me and that was really big for me."
 
Beverly described Adams' recruiting style as authentic and it impressed her that Shocker assistant coaches (Ewa Laskowska and Kelli Bagley) played for Adams. Beverly and Hampton, who is majoring in biological science, liked Wichita State's small campus and class sizes. 
 
"The vibe I got from (Adams) was 'I'm going to take care of Jaida,'" Beverly said. "I wanted that experience for (Hampton), where she had a positive coaching experience where they will look out for her beyond the four years and keep in touch with her."
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.