NORFOLK, Va. (November 23, 2022) - When you look into the annals of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, you will discover that Howard University women's basketball program has been one of the most successful over the past 40 years and has set a lofty standard.
It started in 1982 when Howard, under the leadership of legendary coach Sanya Tyler, represented the conference in its first NCAA appearance in Long Beach, CA.
Over the next four decades, the program has consistently been one of the most successful in the history of the conference.
During that period, Howard has won nine MEAC regular season titles and 11 tournament titles. Along the way, several players have made an indelible mark. There have been seven players of the year and nine Rookies of the year. A number hold conference records, including the all-time leading scorer in MEAC history in Saadia Doyle. Twenty-five players are members of the 1,000-point club, including Doyle and Alisha Hill, who are Numbers in the 2,000-point stratosphere.
We could go on and on, but let's take a look at how it started and how it has reached this point.
"Even when we started out in 1980, we had at least one great player and some good role players," recalls Tyler, who is the winningest coach in school history. "After we went to the NCAAs in 1982, we decided to recruit players who could make a difference. We became our own entity. The quality of the talent changed. Then we started to look like a team. Our size and talent enabled us to compete. The next step was to schedule road games against some of the top teams in the country. Then once we got the Nike deal, it gave us a different look.".
It paid off for Tyler and the Bison program as they went after some of the top recruits in the country and it ultimately paid off when she signed Karen Wilkins, a 6-1 Parade All American out of then high school power H.D Woodson in Washington, DC. She would later land Denique Graves, a 6-5 center who was the Philadelphia Player of the Year her senior year and would ultimately be drafted by the WNBA.
Because of Howard's academic reputation, Tyler decided to implement a program to ensure that she maintain academic stability among the student athletes. She proudly points to three things that made a difference:
"We were one of the first teams to have a sports psychologist (Dr. Hope Hill) for the team; we hired a math tutor with a 4.0 to travel with the team; and we took laptops on the road."
Looking back, it definitely made a difference.
With the infrastructure in place, the program began to reap noticeable benefits. It resulted in a period when they would win four straight and then three straight regular season titles in a row. (It must be noted that there were years when the conference did not have the automatic bid)
The tournament appearances paid further dividends as Howard posted wins over Power 5 opponents, University of Maryland, NC State University, the University of Minnesota and Rutgers. Three of those teams were coached by Hall of Famers, the late Kay Yow at NC State, Chris Weller at Maryland and Vivian Stringer at Rutgers.
It is also important to note that the Howard program, under Tyler, changed the dynamics. In the early years of infancy of the MEAC as a member of Division 1, many of the member institutions, were offering partial scholarships as players oftentimes were required to play two sports. But Tyler, through the power of persuasion, got the University to commit to full scholarships for women's basketball and it not only paid dividends to the program, but it also forced the others in the conference to follow suit.
After 21 years and 208 victories under her belt, Tyler finally stepped down with the legacy intact. Because of the foundation that she laid, Howard has still remained a force in the MEAC. Cathy Parson, who succeeded Tyler, captured the tournament and an NCAA bid in her first season.
The came Nikki Reid Geckeler, who led the Bison to three straight MEAC tournament finals.
And currently, Head Coach Ty Grace led the Bison to two straight tournament finals, winning last year and not only taking last year's team to the NCAAs but winning a first-round in the tournament to advance to the second round.
"There is no question that the program is widely respected in women's basketball," says Howard Head Coach
Ty Grace, in her sixth season at the helm. "Before accepting the job here at Howard, I was familiar with Coach Tyler and the coaches who came after her. There is a legacy here and when you talk to the alums who played here, you realize that the expectations for success are there."
Jeff Williams, an HU alum who played on the men's basketball team and served under Tyler, says that there is no magic as to why the success continues: "Coach Tyler is one of the best coaches that I have served under during my career," he proclaimed. "Her track record speaks for itself. Some of the things that she did were revolutionary and it enabled us to recruit nationally. We could sell recruits on not only having the chance at a high level of basketball, but also an education that allows you as a Black woman to write your own ticket. Willliams has served as a head coach at LaSalle University and had successful stops at Pittsburgh and Georgia Tech as an assistant before accepting his current position as an assistant at East Carolina.
The following are some of the past and present players on what makes Howard University women's basketball so unique and how it impacted their careers.
Robin Duncan Chishom
"I got a number of offers but I wanted to stay close to home," recalls Duncan Chishom. "Howard came after me and once I got to campus on my visit, there was something that resonated with me. It felt like home away from home and it was a chance of being a part of something special for the future. Duncan Chisohm was the first 1,000-point scorer and all-conference player in Howard history.
Andrea Gardner Williams
"I like to think that Howard chose me," says Andrea Gardner Williams, who was drafted in the WNBA draft and a former MEAC Rookie and Player of the Year. "Due to me being a Prop 48 student-athlete, a lot of major schools backed away. But Howard always welcomed me home. I am so thankful for that opportunity because it was where I needed to be."
Gardner Williams, who led the nation in rebounding her junior season, was the 27th pick of the 2002 WNBA draft by the Utah Starzz. She played two full years in the WNBA, in 2002 with the Utah Starzz and 2008 with the Washington Mystics.
Alisha Hill Giggers
"Coach Tyler had followed me all through my AAU career," recalls Hill-Giggers. "I had actually committed to Ohio State and there was also Tennessee, North Carolina and Penn State among others. But when it came down to it, there were two main reasons that I chose Howard. One was the TV show, A Different World, and the other was Coach Tyler. I wanted to go to an HBCU and the interest that Coach showed in me from an early age were the determining factors as to why I chose Howard."
Hill Giggers is a former Rookie of the Year and two-time Player of the Year, the third leading scorer in MEAC history, member of the MEAC and Howard Hall of Fame and the all-time record holder for field-goal percentage in a season at a mind-blowing 70-percent.
Tamoria "Tee" Holmes
"When I first committed to Howard, I honestly did not know a lot about the program. Then Coach Geckeler had the alums come in and talk to us. They talked about the championships and some of their accomplishments and it gave me a different perspective. I, along with the other freshmen, felt that we had something to hold up, the tradition. Holmes is currently an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at East Carolina University and a member of the Howard team that advanced to three straight tournament finals.
Darlene Beale Norris
"I was originally set to go to NC State, but my mother met Coach Tyler during a visit and convinced me to come to Howard," recalls Beale Norris. "I decommitted from NC State There was a legacy at Howard that was passed down. The atmosphere there of family created a culture of oneness. Darlene Beale-Norris is the all-time leading rebounder in MEAC history and an inductee in both the MEAC and Howard Hall of Fame.
Yolanda "Yogi" Lockamy
"I came to Howard as a freshman. and coming from a small town (Zebulon, NC), I was overwhelmed at first. But the culture there and the family atmosphere created by Coach Tyler made me feel comfortable. There were expectations of success on the court but also in the classroom and preparation for life."
Lockamy is a 1990 graduate and the all-time assists leader in MEAC with 648, a record that has stood for over three decades. She currently serves as Deputy Special Agent-in-Charge for The Pentagon.
Cheyenne Curley Payne
"Quite frankly, I did not know a lot about the Howard program when Coach G recruited me. But once I got here, I heard all the stories about the program and what it had accomplished. I distinctly remember a group for former players coming in and talking to us during our freshman season and you could feel the sense of pride that they had for the program and the excitement that they showed for us when they came to see us play." Curley Payne is 2013 graduate is the second-leading assist holder in HU history and assistant women's basketball coach at Temple University.
Saadia Doyle
"Before I came to Howard, all of the hype was over homecoming and the sororities and fraternities. But I had an awakening when there was a meet and greet in Burr Gymnasium and I got the chance to put the faces with the names on the jerseys in the rafters. I listened as they talked about what they were doing in their professional careers. Here was a group of Black women who had been a part of the basketball success and now they are successful in their professional careers as teachers, coaches, engineers, entrepreneurs and parents. When we went back as a team, we talked about what we needed to do to continue this legacy." Doyle is the all-time leading scorer in MEAC history with over 2,300 points and both an MEAC and Howard Hall of Fame inductee. She is currently a social worker in the DMV area.
Iyanna Warren
"When it came time for me to make a decision, Howard was my choice, I knew about its history, not just in women's basketball but also the people who had been in the program and what they have accomplished. It was a perfect fit for me. I was local (Accokeek, MD) and it checked all the boxes for me. On my visit, the coaching staff and the administration made me feel like I was a part of something special."
Warren is a senior point guard and preseason All-MEAC first team selection. She is a pre biology major and chemistry minor, whose goal is to be a physician.
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The following are some of the outstanding individual/team accomplishments of the program during the past 40 years:
- Individual NCAA Season record for field-goal percentage in a season at 70-percent, Alisha Hill
- All-time MEAC leader in career assists with 648, Yolanda Lockamy
- Leading rebounder in the nation, Andrea Gardner
- All time lading 3-point shooter in MEAC history, Jayla Thornton
- All time leading scorer in MEAC history, Saadia Doyle
- Only coach in MEAC and HBCU history to defeat four Power 5 schools, Maryland, NC State, Rutgers, Minnesota
- Only team in MEAC to have two players, Denique Graves and Andrea Gardner, drafted by the WNBA
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at
www.HUBison.com and/or the MEAC website at
www.MEACSports.com.
