By Ben Everett | Sports Writer
Former Baylor women’s basketball player Chameka Scott died Sunday night from cancer. The 33-year old was a starting guard on the Lady Bears’ 2005 National Championship team.
Baylor head coach Kim Mulkey, who was with Scott in her last moments, said she was a blessing to those around her.
“We were all blessed that she came into our lives, that we got to be a part of Chameka’s life,” Mulkey said.
Scott played at Baylor from 2002 to 2006, starting 54 consecutive games for the Lady Bears in her final two seasons.
Scott averaged 7.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game during the 2004-05 championship season. She finished No. 10 in the Big 12 in 3-point percentage, shooting 38.3 percent from deep on the season.
Mulkey said Scott wasn’t a high-end talent coming into college, but she worked her way to the top.
“She did it the right way,” Mulkey said. “She worked her rear end off. She didn’t get off the bench much her freshman year, but she never stopped asking questions about how she could improve. She basically worked her way up the ladder into the starting lineup.”
Three of Scott’s teammates, Abiola Wabara, Chelsea Whitaker and Jordan Davis visited her often during her treatment, Mulkey said.
“As a coach, one thing that really touched me was seeing three of her teammates taking care of her, ” Mulkey said. “Abi [Wabara] lives down there, but Chelsea and Jordan are both in Dallas and would go down there every weekend after they got off work. That camaraderie, that unbreakable bond, is why that team in 2005 won a national championship.”
Scott went undrafted in the 2006 WNBA Draft, but signed on with the Sacramento Monarchs, who made a run to the WNBA Finals that season.
Her professional playing career was cut short in 2008 when she was diagnosed with Chrohn’s disease.
Scott was diagnosed with cancer in 2015 when a colonoscopy found a malignant blockage, according to ESPN.
Whitaker said she is relieved to know Scott is not in pain anymore.
“I was just glad that she was no longer in pain,” Whitaker said. “That wasn’t the same athletic body, it wasn’t the same athletic organs, it wasn’t the same shell. I believe in God, and so did she, and I know she’s in a better place. Her mind was there, but everything else wasn’t. It was really crippling for us to have to see her struggle like that, because we know how much of a fierce competitor and strong person she was.”
A memorial service will be scheduled for Scott at a later date.
