Women's Basketball | 3/11/2025 3:05:00 PM

GREENSBORO – Finally!

After 248 wins, a .638 winning percentage, a .762 winning percentage in conference play, five regular-season championships, seven postseason appearances, including three NCAA and four WNIT, and three conference tournament titles, North Carolina A&T women's basketball head coach Tarrell Robinson earned his first career conference coach of the year award on Tuesday when the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) named him coach of the year.

In addition to Robinson's honor, his star guard, Jordyn Dorsey, earned first-team All-CAA honors for the second straight season while making the CAA's all-defensive team.

Graduate guard Maleia Bracone and junior center Chaniya Clark made third-team All-CAA.

Robinson's Aggies came into the 2024-25 season as CAA favorites, marking the sixth time in his 13-year career his team came in as conference favorites. Despite high expectations, which included the Aggies being preseason No. 17 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll, the Aggies got off to a 2-7 start partly due to a schedule that included two ACC schools and three teams ranked in the mid-major poll.

A&T finished the regular season 17-3 after its 2-7 start. Overall, the Aggies head into the 2025 CAA Women's Basketball Championship Tournament 19-10, with a 15-3 conference record.

The Aggies won their 15 conference games by an average margin of 13.4 points. They lost their three CAA games by a combined 10 points, lending to the idea the Aggies were not far away from pulling off an undefeated conference season. Robinson is one win shy of achieving his seventh 20-win season.

"I'm overwhelmed with emotion receiving this recognition," said Robinson. "Thank you to all my colleagues who selected me. Thank you for pushing us to improve every game, win or lose. The CAA doesn't just have some of the best coaches in the country but also some of the best people. I'm thankful to compete against coaches who can compete during the game and support you right after the final buzzer."


JORDYN DORSEY

Dorsey played a significant role in A&T's success this season and in previous seasons. She could finish her career as the first player in program history to produce more than 1,400 points, 500 rebounds, 400 assists and 150 steals. She is two assists shy of becoming the Aggies' all-time leader.

As Dorsey heads into the conference tournament, she is averaging 15.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.1 steals. She is shooting .384 from the field, .267 from 3-point range and .807 from the three throw line. She leads the league in free throws made (134) and attempted (166) while ranking second in free throw percentage. She also has made her last 22 free throw attempts.

In addition, she ranks third in the league in minutes (35.16), third in total steals (62), fifth in steals per game, sixth in points per game, fifth in assist/turnover (1.29) and sixth in assists per game. She had a career-best six 20-point games this season, including a career-best 27 in a win over William & Mary on March 6.

"I could not fit in Jordyn Dorsey's shoes, not because she wears a size 8 ½ and I wear a 15, but because she is asked to wear so many hats in our program," said Robinson. "She has to set the tone on offense, which sometimes requires her to be aggressive and look for opportunities to score.  Then, she has to make sure that her teammates get opportunities to score. After that, she has to turn around and set the tone defensively for us, which means picking up the basketball full court while making sure her teammates are on the same page defensively. Did I mention she is our emotional leader?

We put all that on her, and she accepts the challenge every game and does it better than anyone in her position in the CAA on both sides of the floor."


MALEIA BRACONE

Bracone and Clark had similar paths to third-team all-conference. Both ladies endured early-season injuries, which derailed their progress. Bracone missed four games with her injury but still managed to average 10.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.9 steals. Bracone is fifth in the league in assists and 3-pointers made per game (1.80), and sixth in steals per game.

She looks completely healthy heading into the tournament. Over her last nine games, she is averaging 14.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 3.1 steals, while shooting .460 (40-87) from the field and .423 (22-52) from 3-point range.

"We are starting to see the real Maleia Bracone because she's healthy," said Robinson. "She is so good with the ball in her hands, attacking the defense and setting up her teammates for easy opportunities. You add her finding her shooting touch, and you have the best two-way player in the CAA."

CHANIYA CLARK

Clark averages 9.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game while shooting .510 from the floor. From 2-point range, she shoots .558 (101-181). Clark broke the program's single-season blocked shots record with 99 rejections. Malveata Johnson held the record (96) for 24 years before Clark broke it.

Clark ranks fifth in the CAA in total blocks and blocks per game and seventh in rebounding. She also posted eight double-doubles.

"Chaniya has a skill set and a basketball IQ that not many post players her size have," said Robinson. "She is a threat from anywhere on the floor. Her shooting touch, whether it's inside or outside, is unique for her position. Her soft hands give her the ability to block shots, rebound the ball, and make precision passes to her teammates.

She is a unicorn in this conference, and she impacts the game in so many ways to help us get the victory."

The Aggies open the tournament on Friday, March 14 at noon against the winner of the 8/9 game between Hofstra and William & Mary.