For Ben and Erin Napier, returning to Jones College never feels like just another visit. It feels like coming home.
The HGTV “Home Town” hosts, business owners and Laurel natives partnered with Jones College to renovate the women’s basketball locker room, a project that blends their love for design, community and the place where their story began.
“Jones is central to our community. It’s in our DNA,” Erin said.
Though she didn’t grow up in Ellisville, both of her parents attended Jones. Her father played football here; her mother was a cheerleader. Ben and Erin themselves first met on Jones’ campus before transferring to Ole Miss.
“We always correct people,” Ben said with a laugh. “We didn’t meet at Ole Miss. We met at Jones College.”
The project started when new head coach Trista Whitman reached out following a significant donation designated for athletic improvements. Knowing the Napiers’ deep ties to Jones, she asked if they would help bring new life to the women’s basketball space.
For Ben, who grew up playing varsity basketball, there was a personal attachment.
“There’s a mental aspect to sports that’s just as important as the physical,” he said. “If your locker room is beautiful, you feel invested in it. You feel like you need to play to that level. But if it’s run-down, you start to feel like it’s okay to play that way, too. Environment matters.”
The goal was to create a space that is warm, inviting and reflective of the program’s legacy.
The Napiers incorporated thoughtful lighting, meaningful historical pieces from the school’s past and functional features like areas to watch film and bond as a team.
“We want it to feel like a living room,” Ben said. “These players are only here for two years. They need a home during that time.”
Space limitations and the building’s concrete structure posed challenges, but the Napiers said that only pushed their creativity.
“It’s a cinder-block basement,” Ben said, laughing. “But we’re working with what we have and making it beautiful.”
At its heart, the renovation is about more than design. It’s about pride, identity and building a culture student-athletes want to be part of.
“We’re the best two-year school in Mississippi,” Erin said. Ben chimed in, “Or the universe.”
The couple laughed, but their message was sincere, “Recruits should see that the moment they walk in.”
Once the renovation was complete in Fall 2025, the Jones women’s basketball team had the opportunity to not only see but use the upgraded facilities. Scenes for the show were filmed during the fall semester, but the secret had to be kept until the episode premiered April 19, 2026. That night, the college held a Home Town premiere party in the A.B. Howard Gymnasium, where the public was invited to join the Jones employees and students in watching the debut.
After the show, attendees took a tour of the renovations, walking into a locker room that reflected legacy, respect and belonging to a place that feels like home.
by Jayla Jones
