Dawn Michelle Staley is an American basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball team. A point guard, she played college basketball for the Virginia Cavaliers and spent eight seasons in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), primarily with the Charlotte Sting. Staley also played on the United States women's national basketball team, winning three gold medals at the Olympic Games from 1996 to 2004, and was the head coach of the team that won an Olympic gold medal in 2021. She is the first person to win the Naismith Award as both a player and a coach.
Kimberly Duane Mulkey is an American college basketball coach and former player. Since 2021, she has been the head coach for Louisiana State University's women's basketball team. A Pan-American gold medalist in 1983 and Olympic gold medalist in 1984, she is the first coach in NCAA basketball history to win national championships as a player, assistant coach, and head coach. Since the inception of the NCAA women's tournament in 1982, Mulkey has participated as a player or coach every year except 1985 and 2003.
The 1991 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 14, 1991, and ended with the championship game on April 1 in Indianapolis, Indiana. A total of 63 games were played.
Mickie Faye DeMoss is a former American college basketball coach and player. She was the women's head coach at the University of Florida and the University of Kentucky. She was also an assistant coach at Louisiana Tech University, University of Tennessee, University of Texas, Auburn University, Memphis State University, and the WNBA's Indiana Fever. DeMoss was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018 as a Contributor - Assistant Coach. She retired after 45 years of coaching basketball in some capacity in July 2022, while chief of staff for Georgia Tech women's basketball.
The Jackson State Tigers and Lady Tigers represent Jackson State University, Jackson, Mississippi, in NCAA intercollegiate athletics.
The Southern Jaguars and Lady Jaguars represent Southern University in NCAA intercollegiate athletics. Southern University's 13 athletic teams participate in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) which is a part of the NCAA Division I. Football participates in the Football Championship Subdivision.
The Grambling State Tigers and Lady Tigers represent Grambling State University in NCAA intercollegiate athletics. Grambling's sports teams participate in Division I as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).
George Ivory is the head men's basketball coach for Mississippi Valley State University. He was the head men's basketball coach at the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff from 2008 to 2021. Previously, Ivory was an assistant at Mississippi Valley State, his alma mater, from 1998–2002, 2007–2008, and 2021–2022.
Rick Pietri is an American college basketball coach and the current women's head coach at Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, Alabama. The Jacksonville State Gamecocks are members of NCAA Division I and, as of the upcoming 2023–24 basketball season, compete in Conference USA (C-USA). The former head coach at the University of South Alabama was named as JSU's new coach on June 25, 2013.
Charles "Charlie Red" Hardnett was an American basketball player who played three seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The 6' 8" power forward played for Carver High School Atlanta. He played college basketball for Grambling State University from 1959 to 1963. Hardnett earned All-America honors in 1962. He was also the NAIA Basketball Tournament MVP in 1961. Hardnett was drafted in the third round of the 1962 NBA draft by the St. Louis Hawks. He played for the Chicago Zephyrs / Baltimore Bullets (NBA) from 1962 to 1965. Hardnett also coached at the college level. He coached at Coppin State College (Baltimore) from 1970 to 1974, and at Morris Brown College (Atlanta) from 1974 to 1980.
The Jackson State–Southern football rivalry, often informally called the BoomBox Classic, is a college football rivalry between the Tigers of Jackson State University (JSU) and the Jaguars of Southern University (SU). An annual conference game between two historically black universities in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), its location usually rotates between JSU's Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jackson, Mississippi and SU's A. W. Mumford Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, but it has also been held at larger venues to accommodate the large crowds that the game draws. As of 2023, the Jaguars lead the series 35–33, not including two wins that Southern was ordered to vacate by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
The Jackson State Tigers football team represents Jackson State University in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).
The Grambling State Tigers men's basketball team represents Grambling State University in Grambling, Louisiana. The school's team currently competes in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. They currently play their home games at the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center. They made their first ever appearance to the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament in 2024.
Garrison Johnson is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Jackson State University and later professionally in Europe.
Donte Jackson is an American college basketball coach, currently head coach for the Grambling State Tigers of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). In 2024, he led the Tigers to their first SWAC tournament championship in program history and their first ever NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.
The 2021–22 Jackson State Lady Tigers basketball team represented Jackson State University during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Tigers, led by fourth year head coach Tomekia Reed, played their home games at the Williams Assembly Center and were members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).
Carlos Funchess is an American college basketball coach for the Southern Lady Jaguars of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. He played college basketball for the Northeast Louisiana Warhawks and later professionally for several years.
The 2023–24 Jackson State Lady Tigers basketball team represented Jackson State University during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Lady Tigers, led by fifth-year head coach Tomekia Reed, played their home games at the Williams Assembly Center as members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).
Angel Jackson is an American professional basketball player who is a free agent. She was selected by the Las Vegas Aces in the 2024 WNBA draft after playing college basketball at USC and Jackson State. In high school, she played for Salesian College Preparatory in Richmond, California. Jackson was named SWAC Defense Player of the Year both years she attended. On April 15, 2024, Jackson became the second HBCU player to be drafted in the last 20 years, joining Meshya Williams-Holliday, drafted in the 2022 WNBA draft.
The 2023–24 Grambling State Tigers women's basketball team represented Grambling State University during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Tigers, who were led by first-year head coach Courtney Simmons, played their home games at the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center in Grambling, Louisiana, as members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
