EAST LANSING — Nyla Hampton has yet to play an official game in the Michigan State women’s basketball program.
But junior guard Theryn Hallock feels like she has played alongside Hampton for years on the basketball court.
Hampton has made that big of an impression on Hallock and the rest of her teammates since transferring from Ball State to MSU during the offseason. And that presence has led to Hampton being recently voted by teammates as one of the Spartans’ captains alongside Julia Ayrault.
“Credit to her for coming in new and earning that position,” said MSU coach Robyn Fralick, who coached Hampton at Bowling Green for three seasons. “Knowing Nyla so well, I think what her teammates felt and saw was just her heartiness for the team.
“She’s composed. I think she’s the same every day. She really cares about her teammates. She really cares about the team. The team picked up on that immediately and credit to her for being voted captain.”
Hampton, a 5-foot-7 graduate student guard, said earning that title for her new team is a huge honor and somewhat of a surprise. But she also made it a point to connect with her new teammates upon arriving to East Lansing.
“I mean there was a little wow, (and) I’m glad that my teammates see me that way (as a captain),” Hampton said Tuesday during MSU’s media day. “I feel like I was able to come in and support them anyway I could and kind of just show them I’m here for them and I can be a leader for them. It’s a big responsibility (being a captain). I’m excited for it.”
Ayrault noticed that and said Hampton’s presence on the court has been significant.
“She tweaked her ankle about a month or so ago and she was out a day or two and we felt it,” Ayrault said. “We could tell a difference between when she was on the floor and when she wasn’t. I think that says it all in itself. We notice when you’re not there. We can feel that.
“I think people noticed that and respect that and people loved that. She’s just done a great job in a short amount of time of showing us the great qualities that she has.”
In addition to her leadership, Hampton has proven her skills on the court at Bowling Green and in her one season at Ball State. She is a two-time Mid-American Conference defensive player of the year selection and ranked sixth in the nation in steals per game (3.35) last season.
“From my experience, if you’re a really good player at any level you can help a team,” Fralick said. “She has such a feel for how we play. She already knows the system. She’s so disruptive and bigger than that we just love her. She’s somebody you want to be around every day. She has a really really good feel for how to play and she’s fit in seamlessly.”
Contact Brian Calloway at bcalloway@lsj.com. Follow him on X @brian_calloway.
