Women's basketball alumnae gear up for NCAA tournament
Charlotte, NC - Forty-five former NJCAA women's basketball student-athletes are slated to compete in the 2021 NCAA DI Women's Basketball Tournament in San Antonio, Texas. Ahead of Sunday's first round of games, 25 of the 64 teams in this year's tournament feature student-athletes who once competed in the NJCAA.
Natasha Mack was named the 2019 NJCAA DI Women's Basketball Player of the Year following an impressive dominant at Angelina (TX). Continuing her athletic and academic careers at Oklahoma State, Mack currently leads the Cowgirls in both scoring and rebounding. Mack has been included as a finalist for several prestigious national awards including a spot on the Wooden Award National Ballot, as well as being named a finalist for the Katrina McClain Award, a semifinalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award, appearing on the Naismith Award Midseason Team and the Wade Trophy Watch List. She is also a second-team All-American.
Despite the 2019-20 season being cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic, Ahlana Smith was named the 2020 NJCAA DI Women's Basketball Player of the Year following Gulf Coast State's (FL) 23-5 season that earned a No. 5 seed in the national tournament. Smith transferred to Gulf Coast State after one year at UCLA and made the most of her experience as a Commodore. She averaged 20.3 points per game, including three 30-point performances, and put up double figures in all but one game during her tenure. This season, Smith has appeared in 23 games for Louisville, starting five. The Cardinals earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Once upon a time, Utah Valley was a two-year institution and an NJCAA member college. In 2003, the Wolverines transitioned their athletic programs into the NCAA Division I level. Utah Valley women's basketball program accumulated nine NJCAA All-America honors during its stint in the association. This season, Utah Valley earned an NCAA DI Women's Basketball Championship appearance for the first time in school history. Former Midland College (TX) guard Kayla Anderson has been a key figure on this historic team, starting 17 games so far this season. During Anderson's time as a Chaparral, she averaged 7.8 points per game while shooting 31.3% from behind the arc.
Without an NJCAA women's basketball tournament in 2020 due to COVID-19, Gulf Coast State still reigns as the defending national champion in NJCAA DI Women's Basketball. Two members of that national championship team will be suiting up for their respective NCAA programs. Alexus Dye, NJCAA tournament MVP, is set to represent Troy as they take on No. 2 Texas A&M on Monday, March 22. Alabama's Brittney Davis will face off against North Carolina in the opening round in San Antonio.
The NJCAA's women's basketball championships will take place in April with the DI tournament beginning April 19 in Lubbock, TX before the DII tournament kicks off on April 20 in Port Huron, MI.
