Sorrell-Howard Hall of Fame Honor for Booneville Native

One of the best basketball players ever to come out of Prentiss County now has a place among Mississippi State’s all-time greats. Booneville native Kunshinge Sorrell-Howard was inducted into the Mississippi State M-Club Sports Hall of Fame on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026. The Sorrell-Howard Hall of Fame honor came at the annual M-Club gala in Starkville, held the night before the Bulldogs hosted Missouri in football.

Sorrell-Howard starred at Booneville High School and at Northeast Mississippi Community College before her two record-setting seasons with the Bulldogs. She is also a familiar face on the Northeast campus in Booneville, where she has worked since returning to the college in 2015.

A Scorer Still in MSU’s Record Book

Sorrell-Howard played for Mississippi State from 1986 to 1988. According to the university’s announcement of the Class of 2026, she was named First Team All-SEC in both of her seasons in Starkville.

• She averaged 20.8 points per game at MSU, the second-best career scoring average in program history, behind only LaToya Thomas.
• She scored 1,292 points in just two seasons, which still ranks 15th on the school’s career scoring list.
• She remains among MSU’s leaders in career steals and steals per game.

Mississippi State’s release called her “among the most successful State basketball players in history.”

Built at Booneville High and Northeast

Before she reached the SEC, Sorrell-Howard was a two-time pick for the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal’s All-Area team at Booneville High School, according to her Northeast athletics biography.

She then became a star for the Northeast Lady Tigers under NJCAA Hall of Fame coach Ricky Ford. She averaged 24 points over her first 12 college games, and as a freshman in 1984-85 she scored a season-high 33 points against Coahoma Community College. That young team won the first of six straight Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) state championships.

Her sophomore season was even bigger. Northeast went into the postseason 20-0, swept the MACJC North Division and state tournaments, and then won the regional title with victories over Itawamba, East Mississippi and Northwest. That run sent the Lady Tigers to the NJCAA National Tournament for the first time, and Sorrell-Howard was named to the NJCAA All-Region 23 Tournament team.

Back Home at Northeast Mississippi Community College

After her playing career, Sorrell-Howard coached high school basketball, including five years as an assistant at Clinton High School. She returned to Northeast as a women’s basketball assistant coach for the 2015-16 season. Northeast has since noted that she now works on the college’s Success Coaching team, helping students on the Booneville campus.

Her induction adds to a busy stretch for Northeast alumni. The college honored six inductees in its own Hall of Fame during homecoming week.

Sorrell-Howard Hall of Fame Class of 2026

Sorrell-Howard entered the M-Club Hall with seven other Bulldog greats:

• Mario Austin, men’s basketball (2001-2003)
• Johnthan Banks, football (2009-2012)
• Daniel Boyd, football (1990-1992)
• Fletcher Cox, football (2009-2011)
• Kathe Kingston, women’s golf (1982-1985)
• Ted Milton, baseball (1969-1972)
• Aimee York Strickland, volleyball (1989-1992)

The Class of 2026 was inducted at the M-Club Sports Hall of Fame Gala on Sept. 25, ahead of Mississippi State’s home game against Missouri on Sept. 26.

For Booneville and Prentiss County, the honor recognizes a hometown athlete whose name has stayed in the Mississippi State record books for nearly four decades. It also recognizes her ongoing work with students at Northeast.

For more on Northeast athletics, read our recap of NEMCC’s homecoming football game against Northwest.

Source: Mississippi State Athletics; Northeast Mississippi Community College Athletics