Jeremiah Holloway

Published on July 3rd, 2024 by Inside Carolina

Ivory Latta and her late father, Charles, would often sit on the porch outside their home in McConnells, S.C., thinking about the day she would get into the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame.

McConnells — which neighbors Rock Hill and is roughly 40 miles from Charlotte —  has a reported population of 323 people, but routinely holds fewer than 300 residents. There are two stop signs and no stop lights, with only two gas stations and a Dollar General that was added just a few years ago. The University of North Carolina, where Latta would later play college basketball, has an undergraduate population about 61 times that of the town of McConnells.

Latta grew up playing basketball on dirt courts with friends and her siblings around the neighborhood in that small York County town, which served as the birthplace of one of UNC’s most accomplished athletes.

With all that Latta accomplished through basketball at York Comprehensive High School and UNC before playing professionally in the WNBA and overseas, they figured that recognition from the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame would come in a matter of time.

“Man, I can’t wait until they call us, Dad,” Latta would say. “We’re gonna go to the South Carolina Hall of Fame.”

“Yeah, they’re gonna call, just be patient,” he’d answer.

And in late 2023, that call came.

Latta and nine other inductees were inducted into the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame in May. The former North Carolina women’s basketball standout and South Carolina native received messages from a range of people she’s known in her basketball life.

“I mean, people who I haven’t even spoken to in a long time,” Latta told Inside Carolina. “All of my teammates pretty much reached out, even from the WNBA. Coaches, different people. Everybody’s just been like, ‘Yo, congratulations! You did it.’ I’m like, ‘Yes, it’s finally here.’”

As a Tar Heel, the 5-foot-6 Latta became the program’s all-time leading scorer with 2,285 points during her tenure from 2003-2007. She is also the leader in made 3-pointers and second in assists, and she won ACC Player of the Year in 2006. Her No. 12 jersey is in the rafters at Carmichael Arena.

At every level of basketball she played, Latta was almost always the smallest player on the court — and she always found ways to be successful.

She wowed audiences at an early age with her athleticism, ball handling and long-distance shooting. Latta then brought those skills from the Palmetto State to the Tar Heel State, where she further grew her cachet. 

“I always say I get the best of both worlds,” Latta said. “North and South Carolina. My career definitely was huge at the University of North Carolina. I converted some of those Clemson and South Carolina fans into North Carolina fans. So that was definitely a great thing. But the highlight of my whole career with basketball has definitely been North Carolina.”

But before women’s basketball took the rise in popularity that it has in recent years, Latta became a local legend within that space while growing up in South Carolina.

“Ivory is such an ambassador for the state of South Carolina and the women’s game,” Paula Blackwell, her former assistant coach at York, said. “She’s just, hands down, one of those that nobody will ever forget.”

South Carolina Stardom

Before Latta starred as a basketball player in Chapel Hill, baseball first piqued her interest. Her brothers and uncles played on her father’s semi-pro baseball team, the Charlotte Bombers. She often ran around the bases, picked up bats and got helmets for the players. Latta also grew up a big Atlanta Braves fan, and remains a big fan of Chipper Jones.

Latta played little league baseball until she reached pony league-age, and girls weren’t allowed to play pony league at the time. Her dad convinced her to take up basketball, which she eventually did around the age of 10.

“I’m lowkey glad he did, but I always pictured myself being the first girl in the major leagues,” Latta said.

Latta quickly realized that she was leagues ahead of her competitors even though she was the shortest player on the court. Some of her baseball instincts helped her on the hardwood, with her hand-eye coordination translating to basketball. She couldn’t be stopped one-on-one, often scoring at will.

Her dad then placed her into AAU basketball as she became more involved in the sport, and he coached Latta on a team called the Carolina Stompers.

As Latta started playing in middle school at York Junior High School, the other coaches weren’t happy that Latta was playing on that level. In one game, as a seventh grader, she scored 43 points. Arsonia Stroud, the head coach of York’s high school team at the time, saw the fun Latta played with and also the edge that she brought to the table.

Soon after, Latta’s parents had her moved up to play with her older sisters on the varsity level.

Latta was always a fun-loving, competitive kid. She grew up with six older siblings, including four brothers. She often played against boys outside as she developed her game. And as she got older, her work ethic started to increase.

While some other kids partied, she either played basketball, trained, or worked at her dad’s landscaping business to raise money for AAU basketball. She stayed after practice to run suicides and get extra shots up.

“I don’t know if I ever coached another kid like that who was so driven and didn’t care about the social part,” Blackwell said. “Her goal was to be a professional basketball player. That’s what she was going to do 24/7.”

Latta was a student of the game. The older she got, the more she learned the importance of figuring out how to succeed offensively against bigger players. One of her methods in doing so was extending her 3-point range. A few steps inside halfcourt, and she wasn’t afraid to let it fly.

Latta kept a dedicated approach to building strength, working out with the football team during the summer and taking weightlifting classes at York during the school year.

The football coach at the time had doubts about a girl working out with his team based on the potential comments they may make toward her.

“Coach, Ivory grew up with four brothers,” Blackwell and the other coaches told him, and he was convinced shortly after that.

Latta’s teammates also respected her leadership. Emily Jordan, who played with Latta on the varsity team for two years, formed a bond with Latta as they both played basketball and softball together. Jordan said that her favorite trait of Latta’s was her ability to be an on-court coach with those she played with.

“She would spend time with me working on free throw shots, and the same routine every time you get up to the line,” Jordan said. “And the way she communicated with the team out on the court, it went a long way with me because communication is key.”

Latta became a must-watch player at York. Her 3-point shooting and high-scoring performances were one thing, but the Lady Cougars were winning games as a result. Outside of her scoring, she was on the back line when the team played 1-3-1 zone, hauling in defensive rebounds as the smallest player on the team.

Clover High School was York’s biggest rival, and in Latta’s senior year, the game was played at Winthrop Coliseum to accommodate for the crowd size — and that 6,100-seat arena sold out.

No one can recall a game that Latta’s York teams didn’t sell out, particularly in the latter seasons of her career. And it was Latta’s electrifying style of play that attracted those crowds.

“People would come to the girl’s game and leave about halfway through the boy’s game,” Blackwell said. “Everybody was there to see Ivory.”

In Latta’s junior year, the team faced Dreher High School in the state championship. The starting five consisted of players who went on to play for Duke, TCU, South Carolina and other spots. One starter was 6-foot-3, and another stood 6-foot-4.

Latta got pushed around all game. The defenders often knocked her into press row to keep her from scoring. 

“The child could not stay on two feet,” Jordan said.

But that level of physicality activated something in Latta. She started sinking threes at a rate she wasn’t hitting them previously. And as she continued to draw fouls, some of Dreher’s best players began fouling out. The Lady Cougars went on to win that state title game in 2002.

And with that victory, the legend of Latta grew even larger.

“I’ve never seen anyone take over a game like she could at any minute,” Blackwell said.

Latta displayed that takeover ability in a record-setting performance during her senior year.

The Lady Cougars geared up to host a third-round playoff game against Belton-Honea Path in 2003, with a trip to the state championship on the line. Latta heard chatter that week about Belton-Honea Path potentially going into The Dome — which is what York called its home arena — and knocking the Lady Cougars out of the playoffs.

“I’m like, ‘Ha, yeah right,’” Latta said.

Everyone stood shoulder to shoulder that February evening. Several college coaches who wanted to attend couldn’t get into the building, and the ones who did had to stand up the whole time like everyone else in attendance. A fire marshal was there to maintain the gym’s capacity.

The Cougar Dome was rumbling, and the feeling of the tense crowd beamed out onto the court. The task for York, on top of winning the game, was to protect Latta and keep her focused on the game.

With the level of anticipation that surrounded the game, Latta delivered.

The record wasn’t on Latta’s mind, but rather a chance to advance and win a state championship. As she walked out of the locker room for the team’s final home game of the season, she told her teammates, “We’re gonna have a good time tonight!”

Eager and ready to go, with the rambunctious crowd behind her, Latta uncorked her first 3-pointer of the game — and air-balled it.

After that shot, she looked over to her father. He said nothing, but the look on his face said, “‘You just shot an air-ball in front of this sold-out arena?’”

So Latta started to lock in.

Latta’s coaches had seen her catch fire before. The scorekeepers, officials, fans and reporters that covered her games had witnessed Latta find a rhythm from the outside before, but what transpired that night was beyond anything they’d seen her do. It was as if she couldn’t miss from outside. She finished with a state record 14 made 3-pointers.

“When I tell you I was so zoned in, I was in that zone for real,” Latta said.

The game’s scorekeeper motioned toward Blackwell during the second half during a timeout. Latta had 58 or 59 points by that point, and the state record at the time was 67.

Stroud and Blackwell thought about what to do with Latta from a sportsmanship standpoint, since the team was already winning by a considerable margin. They pulled Latta when she was just a couple of points shy of 70, and when the scorekeeper reminded Blackwell of how close she was to that number, she tried to convince Stroud to let her back in.

“I looked at her and said, ‘Coach Stroud, you can blame me,’” Blackwell said.

Latta was put back in and instructed to just make one more shot. She drove to the rim and got fouled, making two free throws to break the state scoring record before immediately coming out. As she walked off the court, Latta heard the PA announcer say something but couldn’t quite make it out.

“What did they say?” Latta asked Blackwell.

“You just broke the state record,” she replied. “You scored 70 points.”

“70?!” An astonished Latta said back.

Latta has a full tape of the game, and clips of it exist on YouTube. Watching the game now, she surprises herself with how far back she shot the ball from.

“They have the little debate, ‘Oh, this person shoots far out and all that,’” Latta said. “I’m like, listen, I’ve been doing this since high school. It’s just the fact that we didn’t even have social media.”

Latta was named a McDonald’s All-American as a senior in 2003. She and LeBron James were both named the Morgan Wooten National Player of the Year by McDonald’s that year.

Latta left York as the all-time leading scorer in South Carolina basketball history with 4,319 career points.

“I think she gained so much respect for the women’s game,” Blackwell said. “And now, we’re all seeing it. You got all the Caitlin Clark and all that stuff, but Ivory created hype way before Caitlin Clark. But it’s exciting. It’s exciting for that again.”

Success In Chapel Hill, WNBA

Growing up, Latta wanted to play for the South Carolina Gamecocks, often taking part in their basketball camps. But once she got to UNC’s campus, her mind started to change.

“When I went on that visit to North Carolina, I was like, ‘Woah, Lord! Look at all this!’” Latta said. “‘We get always this Jordan gear?’ It was so nice, I went to a game, and I just fell in love with that baby blue and fell in love with Coach Hatchell.”

Sylvia Hatchell, North Carolina’s head coach at the time, pursued Latta hard during the recruiting process. She and members of her staff watched many of York’s games during the Beach Ball Tournament in Myrtle Beach. Latta’s relationship with Hatchell continued to grow from there, and she elected to play for the Tar Heels.

Latta won ACC Freshman of the Year in 2004, averaging 14 points per game on 36.2 percent shooting. Still, there was another level she wanted to reach. 

“First year, I had to get my feet wet,” Latta said. “The physicality of the players in the ACC, the great players. And I just had to, when I say regroup and go home, I came home and worked on my game. And it was just an eye opener for me. It’s like, ‘Yeah, I’m good enough. Yeah, I may be small, but I’m just as good as all these other players.’ And that’s how I saw it. When I literally went to work, I went to work.” 

Hatchell gave Latta a key to the gym during her first year, giving her the ability to get shots up whenever she wanted. The work ethic that helped her succeed at York was carrying over to North Carolina.

Latta sometimes heard doubts about her ability to compete at the ACC level because of her size, and she credited Hatchell for reinforcing her self-confidence.

“I didn’t recruit you because of your height,” Hatchell told her. “I recruited you because of your heart, and how you play.”

Those words from Hatchell served as a reminder to Latta that, despite her height, she was just on par with — if not better than — anyone she shared the court with.

“It just stuck to me for the rest of my life,” Latta said. “And she always told me never to back down from anybody. So that’s one of the things that’s always stuck with me. Playing in the league, playing overseas, no matter what. Never back down from anybody.”

Latta took a stride in her sophomore year, and as a junior, she won ACC Player of the Year in 2006. She helped UNC reach the Final Four in her last two years. Latta also became a three-time All-American and a three-time ACC Tournament MVP.

In Latta’s four years at UNC, the Tar Heels went 121-17.

UNC’s impact on Latta extended beyond her college days. She returned to be an assistant coach alongside Hatchell in 2013-2015. Since the WNBA season didn’t overlap with the college season, she was able to spend time in Chapel Hill on staff at North Carolina.

“It was perfect timing,” Latta said. “And it was something that I truly, still today, want to do when it’s all said and done. I definitely would love to be a head coach one day. I love coaching. I love teaching. I love development. I live and die for development. I just feel like I have the experience on all levels, and I know what it takes, even if the young ladies are looking to get into the WNBA.”

Latta was drafted to the Detroit Shock with the 11th overall pick in the 2007 WNBA Draft, and she played for three different franchises during her career. She became a two-time all-star with the Washington Mystics in 2013 and 2014.

“Dang,” Latta thought after her first selection. “I do belong in this league. I’m an all-star now.”

During the offseason, she played overseas in Israel, Russia and Turkey. She last played professionally in 2017.

“It’s always that little chip that you have on your shoulder of people doubting you, doubting your game just because of your height,” Latta said. “But y’all aren’t looking at the bigger picture. It ain’t the height, it’s the game. It’s the heart that I played with each and every night. It’s the love that I have for the game that I displayed every night.

“I think I had a chip on my shoulder when I was in middle school and carried it on to high school. Went from college, to the WNBA, and even overseas. I remember some teams didn’t even want to sign me to their overseas team because they’re looking for bigger guards. So no matter where I went, my height always followed…Some people made excuses and some people didn’t. It doesn’t matter if you’re tall, big, whatever. Just get the job done.”

Latta wanted to document her background through a children’s book. And she picked up momentum on that idea at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.

Latta attended an awards dinner there in 2008, where she met Charles R. Smith Jr., an author who wrote many sports-themed books and was up for an award for his book “Twelve Rounds To Glory” about Muhammad Ali.

Smith and Latta sat at the same table, with Laura Bush on Smith’s right and Latta on his left. Latta knew of his work because one of her sisters knew his books. As the two talked, she brought up her idea of writing a book called “Despite The Height.“

“She already knew the title,” Smith said. “That was the thing that struck me as serious with her. Even when we had dinner that night, she’s like, ‘I want to do a children’s book.’ I’m like, ‘Awesome, cool.’ And people say this to me all the time. But she’s like, ‘I already have the title for it, ‘Despite The Height.’ And I was like, ‘Ah, okay.’”

Over the course of several years, the two worked on it where they could. Latta was still in the WNBA and Smith had other books he would work on at the same time. As Smith learned more details about Latta through their conversations, he started to craft the story. They really locked into finishing it towards the end of Latta’s career, and the book was released in 2017.

In the book, she described her experience playing on a dirt court in McConnells against her dad and her siblings. Her bigger family members would often beat her in basketball, but in the book, she works on her dribbling and her jumpshot over and over until finally beating one of her brothers one-on-one. 

“Even though I wrote it, they’re not really my words, per se,” Smith said. “It’s her story, I just helped her tell her story.”

Latta was joined at her Hall of Fame induction in May by her immediate and extended family, as well as her former York coaches. She’d gotten recognition for her accolades in the past, with UNC retiring her jersey and her inductions into the York County and York Comprehensive High School Hall of Fames.

So her selection to the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame was one in the making.

“She’s been inducted to so many Hall of Fames, I didn’t realize she hadn’t been inducted to this one,” Blackwell said.

Latta emotionally thanked her parents, former coaches and siblings — who she says now have to call her “Hall of Fame Sister” — in her Hall of Fame speech.

Latta is back living in McConnells, and is working to give back to the community by helping improve the athletic facilities in the area. In a recent check-in with Blackwell, Latta told her to stay in touch, telling her to call at any time.

After her playing career, Latta now serves as a women’s basketball analyst on ESPN.

Latta was forged by her experience in South Carolina, where she learned the game of basketball before thriving at UNC and seeing longevity in the professional ranks. Once she embraced who she was as a player, her career took off.

“This pretty much sums up everything in my whole entire life,” Latta said. “I didn’t give up, despite what people had to say about my height. I didn’t give up despite what they said. ‘Oh, she’s not really a real point guard. She’s just a scoring guard.’ No, I’m a scoring point guard. I give the ball up too, but I keep your defense honest.”

“I could have easily given up with the things that people were saying to me, saying about me and it was coming back to me. I could have. That’s always my message to the kids. Despite of your color, your height, your weight, despite anything. Don’t give up. Do it for you, don’t do it for anybody else.”