In this June 21, 1997, file photo, Los Angeles Sparks’ Lisa Leslie (9), right, and New York Liberty’s Kym Hampton (34) leap for the ball during the opening tip of the inaugural WNBA basketball at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif. AP Photo/Michael Caulfield, File
Like mother, like daughter. And the common thread – basketball.
Mom is Kym Hampton who was drafted as the No. 4 pick in the 1997 WNBA Elite draft and played three seasons for the New York Liberty (1997-1999).
Daughter is A’riel Jackson, a sophomore at the University of Cincinnati, who has a pretty strong resume as well.
The Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School graduate was named to the McDonald’s All-American East Nominee List while becoming a 1,000-point scorer in her senior season.
“My mom grew up in Louisville and knew Michelle Clark-Heard, the former coach at Cincinnati,” A’riel Jackson told the Brooklyn Eagle the other day. “I came out for an official visit and fell in love with the campus as well as the community.”
And the feeling may be mutual between her and Cincinnati’s first-year coach Katrina Merriweather.
In fact, it was Jackson’s late-game heroics that gave the Cincinnati women a thrilling 64-63 win over the University of Central Florida last month.
Down by one with 14 seconds remaining (63-62), Jackson made the game-winning putback as time expired to give UC the win.
With the win, the Bearcats earned their first-ever Big 12 Conference victory — this is the first year that Cincinnati has been in the Big 12.
“I saw that game winning shot on TV,” mom Kym told the Eagle from her Portland home, “And I screamed, ‘What were you shooting at?’
“She got the rebound and put back to win it,” Hampton said. “I just stayed with it,” A’riel added.
“I realized at an early age,” Kym Hampton continued, “That she was athletic and loved basketball. But my patience level was low, really low. And my time was tight, as I was working at Madison Square Garden at the…
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