Ole Miss Women’s Basketball forward Latasha Lattimore transferred from Virginia last offseason. The Toronto native was the top-ranked Canadian player by ESPN and the No. 38 prospect in the class of 2021. She sat down with The Daily Mississippian to discuss a day in her life.
While Lattimore has scheduled workouts and conditioning with her team, she has dedicated one-on-one sessions with assistant coach Jacob Whitehead and personal workouts to improve her game.
“I have individuals with my coach every Monday, Wednesday and Friday,” Lattimore said. “And then sometimes, I’ll just do them individually by myself.”
Lattimore is a senior multi-disciplinary studies major with a structured schedule coordinated by Ole Miss. She has built a routine around her workouts and schoolwork to manage her responsibilities.
“In the morning, I’ll go to the (FedEx Student Athlete Academic Support Center), and I’ll talk to my advisers. And they’ll help me with my work,” Lattimore said. “And in the afternoon, when I am done with training … I will go back home and spend like two hours on work the majority of the time.”
Outside of her academic and basketball schedule, Lattimore prioritizes what brings her joy and discovering what Oxford has to offer.
“I am still trying to figure out what I like to do down here,” Lattimore said. “I do like The Velvet Ditch on the Square. Sometimes, me and the team will go out with each other.”
While Lattimore has spent several years in the United States for basketball, she holds her home close to her heart.
“Anywhere I go, I am a Canadian citizen,” Lattimore said. “So anywhere I go, I’m always repping my country on my chest, regardless of where I am. … Canada is always being repped.”
Lattimore wants to be remembered as resilient.
“I want people to see me as the girl or the athlete that pushed through all of her mental toughness, her backup moments,” Lattimore said. “She pushed through everything.”
The time that Lattimore has spent with her teammates and coaches has helped her find her footing and family.
“I feel like as I got here, as time went on, (Oxford) did start to become a home for me,” Lattimore said. “All the people, coach Yo (Yolett McPhee-McCuin), coach Q (Quentin Hillsman), the staff, the places — everyone has become a family away from home.”
Her Oxford family has provided Lattimore with consistent support and encouragement, pushing her to perform to the best of her ability.
“I feel supported by a lot of people, everyone really around me,” Lattimore said. “It’s being shown; it’s being told to me everyday. Coach Yo, she is very supportive in everything that I do. She lets me know, ‘(In) everything you do, you just need to put effort in it. You need to go hard. I believe in you.’ Things like that just want me to push more.”
The support of Ole Miss fans who welcomed and motivated Lattimore was something that surprised her when she donned an Ole Miss jersey for the first time. She appreciated the positive energy of fans in the bleachers.
“The people down here are more into it with the players,” Lattimore said. “They show a lot of love.”
The connections that Lattimore has made inspired her to give back even after her time is up at Ole Miss. She plans to continue supporting and representing Oxford as an alumna.
“I will forever do as much as I can to give back to Oxford, just to show the support and love that they showed me,” Lattimore said.
