Charlotte, NC - The highly regarded 2025 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament is underway and will run through the first week of April. Across all qualifying women's teams, there are a total of 76 former NJCAA student-athletes and coaches that continued their success to the four-year level. This includes 36 student-athletes, 10 head coaches, 9 associate head coaches and 21 assistant coaches.
Due to ongoing disparity between the NCAA and the NJCAA, those numbers are far lower than they could be. Until changes are made at the four-year level, Two-Year College Student-Athletes will continue to be limited on their opportunities to further their athletic and academic success. Read more on #SameGameSameRules campaign click here.
Among all former NJCAA athletes and coaches in the NCAA Tournament, there are quite a few that have stood out.
Northwest Florida State has proven to cultivate an avenue of success for their student-athletes. Six former Raiders are currently participating in the NCAA Tournament. Two notable student-athletes are Sakima Walker of South Carolina and Last-Tear Poa of LSU. While playing with the Gamecocks, Walker has made a great impact on her team. In 2023-24, she helped lead South Carolina to an undefeated National Championship season. During her time at Northwest Florida (2022-23), she earned NJCAA All-America first team honors, named NJCAA Division I Player of the Year, led the Raiders to a National Championship, and was named National Tournament MVP. Walker and the Gamecocks are the #1 seed in the Region 2-Birmingham of the NCAA Tournament.
Last-Tear Poa made her mark on Northwest Florida State Basketball and LSU. Beginning her collegiate career at Northwest Florida State, Poa had quite the impact on the Raiders. She earned First Team All-America honors in the 2021-22 season while leading Northwest Florida State to the National Championship and being named Tournament MVP. She was selected as the FCSAA Player of the Year. LSU and POA are the #3 seed in the Region 1-Spokane of the NCAA Tournament.
Current Stepen F. Austin standout, Faith Blackstone, has exemplified the mission of the NJCAA. After making an impact on CCBC Essex, Blackstone has continued her success at the four-year level. She excelled on the court and led the Knights to the NJCAA Division II National Championship in the 2022-23 season and was named a first team all-America selection as well as NJCAA Division II Player of the Year. SFA is the #14 seed in the Region 3-Birmingham of the tournament.
As talented players lace up to take the court, so do coaches who played or coached at the NJCAA level. Carey Green, head coach of Liberty, is one coach who has been imperative to the success of multiple institutions. Green took his first coaching job at his alma mater Roane State as an assistant coach for men's and women's programs. After three years at the high school level, he returned to the NJCAA as Head Coach of the men's and women's programs at Jackson State where in 1986 he was awarded TJCAA Coach of the Year. While at Liberty, Green has accumulated a 565-233 record in 25 seasons, good for a winning percentage of .708. Liberty has landed as the #13 seed in the Region 4-Spokane of the NCAA Tournament.
Alvin Community College was once home to Texas Head Coach, Vic Shaefer where he played two seasons before transferring to Texas A&M. Shaefer is famous for coaching Mississippi State to college basketball history in 2017 when the Bulldogs hit a buzzer beater to upset No. 1 Connecticut 66-64 in overtime in the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament. The victory snapped the Huskies 111-game win streak. Shafer has led the Longhorns to the 2025 SEC Regular Season Championship and are a #1 seed in the Region 3-Birmingham of the Tournament.
Yolett McPhee-McCuin, head coach of Ole Miss, has seen many sides of the NJCAA. She started out as a student-athlete at Miami-Dade from 2000-02 before transferring to Rhode Island to complete her education. After graduation McPhee-McCuin jumped into coaching when she became an assistant coach at the NJCAA level with Frank Phillips. She stayed there for one year before seizing her next opportunity. Now having been head coach at Ole Miss for seven years, Yolett McPhee-McCuin has made an undeniable impact on the program. McPhee-McCuin has elevated Ole Miss women's basketball back into the national spotlight. She keeps building upon success each season at the helm of the Rebels, leading Ole Miss to a program record 12 SEC wins in 2023-24 and leading the team to a fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance as the #5 seed of the Region 1-Spokane.
See the complete list of former NJCAA student-athletes and coaches in the 2025 NCAA Division I National Tournament click here.