SENATOBIA - One month after being hired to lead the Northwest women's basketball program, head coach LaTaryl Williams has officially appointed his assistant coach.

Former Holmes and New Orleans guard Vaquela Pimpton will join Williams' coaching staff effective immediately, the college confirmed this week. Pimpton is a native of Webb and an alumnus of West Tallahatchie High School.

"I am very excited to be here," Pimpton said. "Coach Williams coached me at Holmes, so I am excited to now be in a coaching role for him and to learn from him as a coach. Both of my parents also played here and overall, I am just grateful for the opportunity."

Pimpton spent two seasons with Holmes from 2016-18 and helped the Lady Bulldogs to 28 victories over that two-year span. As a sophomore, Pimpton and the Lady Bulldogs compiled an 18-9 overall record and finished as the North Division champions, earning postseason appearances in the MACJC Tournament and NJCAA Region 23 Tournament, advancing to the second round of both events.

As a freshman, Pimpton averaged 10.2 points and 3.3 rebounds per game, before finishing with 9.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game in her sophomore season, shooting 33 percent from the floor.

Following her career at Holmes, Pimpton played Division I basketball at the University of New Orleans from 2018-20. She saw action in 26 games as a junior, averaging 4.9 points per game, including a season-best 14 points against Nicholls State on March 2, 2019.

In her senior season at UNO, Pimpton earned 19 starts in 28 games, averaging 4.8 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.4 rebounds per game. She tied her career-high of 14 points against Houston Baptist and hit a pair of three-pointers in an upset victory at Ole Miss. That year, the Privateers finished with a 17-12 record and advanced to the Southland Conference Tournament, before the season was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Most recently, Pimpton served as an inclusion teacher and assistant basketball coach at M.S. Palmer High School in Marks during the 2021-22 season. The Lady Dragons advanced to the MHSAA Class 2A Playoffs, falling to New Site in the opening round.

"She is very loyal," Williams said. "That is something that you don't often find in this business and when you do find it, you want to keep it. I had a chance to help her develop her game for the Division I level and I knew at some point that she wanted to get into coaching. She is knowledgeable about our conference and she went through the process of going from high school to community college to the Division I level, so she can be a great mentor to ladies going down a similar path. Her work ethic will pay dividends for her and she has a great chance to move up in this business."

Pimpton holds an Associate of Arts in general studies from Holmes and a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of New Orleans.