EAST GREENSBORO – North Carolina A&T women's basketball head coach Tarrell Robinson announced the signing of three players on Thursday who will don the Blue and Gold next season.
Mia Hardin (6-foot-4, center, Southern Arkansas University Tech, Neville High School, Bastrop, La.), Paris Locke (6-0, forward, McDonough School, Randallstown, Md.) and Jakieya Thompson (5-7, point guard, St. Paul's High School, Hope Mills, N.C.) will join the family on the East Greensboro campus.
"This class is a special one for us," Robinson said. "As we embark on our first year in the (Colonial Athletic Association) CAA, it is our goal to recruit not just talented and skilled athletes but well-rounded young people with high character and basketball pedigree. These young women come from athletic families where their siblings also played (Division I) basketball. So, they already know what the grind looks like at this level."
Hardin shot 52.5 percent from the floor and averaged 8.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.0 blocks last season. She is in her second season at Southern Arkansas University Tech.
"Mia Hardin is a hard-working, blue-collar post whose best basketball is ahead of her," Robinson said. "She has worked herself into one of the best post players in the (National Junior College Athletic Association) NJCAA. Her agility for her size and ability to play with her back to the basket and face up puts me in the mind of Aprill McRae. She will come in and immediately impact our program on defense as a shot blocker. Offensively, like our post in the past, she will attract double
teams with her ability to score around the basket."
Locke averaged 10.1 points and 6.0 rebounds while shooting 45 percent from the floor last season. The Baltimore Sun named her first-team All-Metro. In addition, she secured first-team All-IAAM-A conference honors.
"Paris Locke is a versatile guard-forward who can literally play the 1-4 positions for us," Robinson said. "She has a high basketball IQ and a true understanding of how to play the game at a high level. There's nothing she can't do on the floor because she has great range and accuracy from the outside and can finish with either hand around the basket. She is also a threat off the dribble, having played the point guard position her junior year at McDonough. She has excelled at every level and every team she's played on, no matter what position she plays. She will come in ready to impact our program immediately."
Thompson averaged 15.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 8.3 assists as a junior, helping St. Paul's to a Class 2A East Regional final appearance after winning the Southeastern Athletic Conference regular season and tournament titles. In addition, she earned Robeson County player of the year accolades for the 2020-21 season.
"Jakieya Thompson is an explosive floor general who is also a natural leader," Robinson said. "She's a winner and a competitor at heart. I anticipate her being a fan favorite because of her quickness with the ball and her ability always to make the right basketball play."
