Game Notes (North Carolina Central) Game Notes (North Carolina A&T)
BALTIMORE, Md. – Coppin State women's basketball will look to get back on the winning track as it makes its way down Tobacco Road for road tilts at North Carolina Central and North Carolina A&T.
What You Need to Know (North Carolina Central)
What You Need to Know (North Carolina A&T)
Coppin Contributors
- Coppin women's basketball picked up its first win of the 2018-19 season on January 7, before dropping its next two.
- Coppin State as a team excels at converting at the charity stripe and draining three-pointers. CSU has the best free-throw percentage in the MEAC (70.4%) while placing inside the top-35 nationally in free throws made (238) and attempted (338). The Lady Eagles are in the top third in the conference in threes made with 92 on the season and converts an average of 5.8 per contest.
- Forward Chance Graham has been racking up the weekly conference awards as she has won four Defensive Player of the Week accolades and a Co-Player of the Week honor through the first ten weeks of the campaign.
- Graham has been giving opponents nightmares, as she is ranked inside the top-15 nationally for defensive rebounds per game (9), double-doubles (9), rebounds per game (11.3) and total rebounds (181) while leading the NCAA in free throw attempts (140).
- Point guard Brooke Fields has stepped up her game over her past ten appearances, averaging 20 points per contest and leading the Eagles in scoring six times.
- Fields is among the conference's top performers in points per game (15.7), assists per game (3.3), free throw percentage (77.5%), three-pointers made per game (2.0) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.00).
- Kaiya Coleman has been another significant transfer addition, leading the team in field goal percentage (42.4%) while placing in the top-three for assists (21), steals (19) and rebounds per game (3.7).
Scouting the North Carolina Central Eagles
- North Carolina Central has been in a slump as of late, losing its last six matchups versus Division 1 competition with its only victory in that span coming against an NAIA school.
- NCCU can do two things well; block shots and make three-pointers. While the Eagles don't attempt many threes, they are extremely effective when they do launch from downtown, converting 29.2% of its attempts (2nd best in MEAC). Central is a top-notch squad when it comes to swatting shots, as its top-50 nationally in both total blocks (79) and blocks per contest (4.6)
- As far as the main shot blockers are concerned, the Eagles have a dynamic duo in 6'1 freshman Kiyana Brown and 5'11 junior Paulina Afriyie. These ladies are second and fifth in the MEAC with 33 and 23 blocks on the season, respectively.
- Afriyie is more than just a rim protector, placing top-three in the conference regarding field goal percentage (46.4%) and rebounds per game (8.9), along with being a top-ten scoring threat with 13.3 points per game.
- The maroon and gray are in the top half of the league in assists per game (11.6) with its two top assisters cracking the conference leader boards. Shontai Totten (2.4) and Zaria Atkins (2.2) provide most of the scoring opportunities for the Lady Eagles.
Scouting the North Carolina A&T Aggies
- North Carolina A&T has been on a roll since the calendar flipped to 2019, as the Aggies are undefeated in conference play winning three consecutive road games versus Maryland Eastern Shore, Delaware State, and South Carolina State to begin MEAC competition.
- A&T is at its best on the defensive end of the court, as it is among the conference's elite in scoring defense (58.1), steals per game (8.6), turnovers forced (21.63) and turnover margin (1.31)
- The Aggies have two players averaging double-digit scoring totals on the season in Cinia McCray (11.9) and C'coriea Foy (11.3).
- North Carolina A&T is fourth in the MEAC in rebounding margin due in part to three different players placing amongst the leaders in rebounding average. Charnise Tyler (6.1), Le'on Hill (6.1), and Rayven Peeples (5.9) all place inside the top-15 in the MEAC.
- Peeples has been amazing with the basketball in her hands, sinking an incredible 55.6% of her shots, best in the MEAC by 5.2% over second place.
- NC A&T also has two separate Aggies in the top-10 for assists per contest as C'coriea Foy and Shantell Bostick each average 2.7 assists per games played.
News and Notes:
Take A Chance On Me
In just two seasons and 16 games, junior forward
Chance Graham already ranks 5th on Coppin State's career rebounding list with 738. Graham is well on pace to shatter
Rene' Doctor's ('95) career record of 908 rebounds. In just 74 games, Graham has averaged 10.0 rebounds per game.
Coppin State All-Time Rebounds Leaderboard
1. Rene' Doctor (908)
2. Kiesha Brooks (865)
3. Larrisa Carter (826)
4. Yvette Larkins (757)
5. Chance Graham (738)
Soaring Up The Scoring Charts
Graham has continued to creep up the Coppin State all-time scoring list, as she currently sits at 858 points scored in her career. She's averaged 11.6 points per game in her career.
Coppin State All-Time Points Leaderboard
1. Rashida Suber (1,865)
15. LaShawn Scott (968)
16. Natasha Parks (928)
17. Janelle Lane (927)
18. Karen Russell (912)
19. Rene' Doctor (895)
20. Leisel Harry (890)
NR. Chance Graham (858)
Eagle Excellence
Graham's presence is littered all over the national leader boards, as she places inside the top-15 in seven different categories and appears on 15 different rankings in total. She currently sits 5th on the Coppin State career rebounding list with 738 and is projected to obliterate the current record of 908 held by
Rene' Doctor. The junior paces the Eagles in points (275), rebounds (181), steals (37), and blocks (20), while sitting atop the MEAC in defensive rebounds per game (9), double-doubles (9), free throw attempts (140), free throws made (100), minutes played per game (37.31) and rebounds per game (11.3).
Double-Double Vision
Chance Graham continues to produce double-doubles game-in and game-out. She accumulated her first four during her freshman campaign, before exploding for 12 such performances last season. So far in 2018-19, she has provided the Lady Eagles with nine double-doubles in the team's first 16 contests, averaging 17.2 points and 11.3 rebounds per game. Over her career, Graham has totaled 25 double-doubles in 74 games, good for 34% of her appearances.
Defending Her Turf
Chance Graham has won four MEAC Defensive Player of the Week Awards in 2018-19 and six in her career. Graham had earned the honor on November 20, December 4, December 26 and January 8 of this year, while winning Defensive POTW for the weeks of January 9 and February 6 last season.
This Girl Is On Fire!!!!
Over her last ten appearances,
Brooke Fields has been scorching hot for the Lady Eagles, averaging an even 20 points per contest while leading the team in scoring in six of those ten games. Fields has notched double-digit scoring outputs in every matchup over that span and recorded her first career double-double (26 points, 10 rebounds) in a win at Delaware State on January 7.
Having A Fields Day
New to the squad this season is senior
Brooke Fields, a former standout at Division II Roberts Wesleyan College. In three seasons with the Redhawks, Fields scored 1,226 points with a career-high 33 points in a victory over Bridgeport. Two seasons ago, Fields earned All-ECC honors with 15.6 points per game along with an 83% free throw percentage.
First Recruit Signed For 2019-2020 Recruiting Class
Coppin State University's women's basketball head coach
DeWayne Burroughs has announced that
Marley Grenway, a 5-foot-10 guard from Jessup, Maryland, has signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the Eagles in the 2019-2020 season. This is the first signee for CSU's recruiting class for next season.
Starring at Oakland Mills High School in Columbia, Maryland, Grenway led the Scorpions to a 2A Regional Championship and State Semifinal as a junior. Grenway averaged 15.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and nearly two steals per game as she was named Third Team All-State for 1A and 2A schools as well as Honorable Mention All-Met by the Washington Post.
Known for her shooting prowess, Grenway made 64 3-pointers last season at Oakland Mills and played her AAU ball for Team Takeover as well as Team Intensity.
Staying In The DMV
Senior transfer
Kaiya Coleman was a near double-digit scorer two years ago at Division II University of the District of Columbia. She also has connections with head men's basketball coach
Juan Dixon, as she played under his tutelage in both individuals' lone season with the Firebirds, going 3-25.
Welcome Back
Coppin welcomes back sophomore
Maraiyah Smith after she had a standout freshman season a year ago. Smith averaged nearly nine points per game and ten points in conference play.
What's In A Name?
Along with Graham and Smith,
Oluwadamilola Oloyede returns to the fold for the Navy and Gold. While all the vowels in her name might make one lose their breath after one roll call, she prefers to go by "Dami" to make it easier on her peers. Oloyede had her bright spots in 2017-18, putting up 17 points while making all seven of her shots at Charlotte to go with three double-doubles.
Freshman Takeover
To coincide with the Eagles' three transfers Darden, Fields, and Coleman, CSU welcomes a plethora of first year players into the mix with redshirt freshman
Tsahai Corbie (Brooklyn, N.Y.) as well as true freshmen
Diamond Adams (South Bend, Ind.),
E'Mya Price (Charlotte, N.C.),
Jalynda Salley (Reynoldsburg, Ohio) and
Elan Wali (Wyncote, Pa) all expected to get significant minutes on the hardwood.
Hawaii 2-5
Charlottesville native
Adrienne Darden has made her way back to the east coast after seeing limited playing time at University of Hawaii two seasons ago. The junior boasts a career-high of seven points versus Boise State and brings a vertical element to the club that was lacking in depth.
Every Tuesday on WNST 1570 AM
Every Tuesday morning during the season, head coach
DeWayne Burroughs and selected coaches and players will be interviewed by Nestor Aparicio on WNST 1570 AM. WNST will air all Coppin home women's basketball games this season as well as selected road games. Games will also be aired on Fox Sports Williamsport.
Preseason Predictions
Coppin State was picked to finish 9th of 12 teams in the 2018-19 MEAC Preseason Poll.
Chance Graham, who received 2nd Team All-MEAC honors last season, headlined the Preseason First Team. Defending Tournament Champions, North Carolina A&T was picked to win the MEAC, followed by the co-Regular Season Champion Bethune-Cookman Wildcats, with Norfolk State, Howard and Maryland Eastern Shore (1 first-place vote) rounded out the top-five.
Angel Golden of Bethune-Cookman was named the Preseason MEAC Player of the Year.
Family Business
Freshman guard
Elan Wali has basketball blood in her veins. Her grandfather,
Wali Jones played in the NBA for 12 seasons (1964-1976) and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team for the local Baltimore Bullets franchise. Her uncle,
Askia Jones, played basketball for Kansas State and played in the NBA for 11 games for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Jones left Kansas State third on the Wildcats all-time scoring list.
