Prairie View A&M Makes The Right Choice--Promotes Wilson

Prairie View A&M University Lady Panthers assistant coach Toyelle Wilson has been promoted to head women's basketball coach, making the 28 year old Wilson one of the nation's youngest NCAA Division I coach. Coach Wilson succeed Cynthia Cooper-Dyke who moved on to University of North Carolina - Wilmington.

Prairie View A&M University athletic director Fred Washington finally made a good decision with the promotion of Lady Panthers women basketball assistant coach Toyelle Wilson to the head coach position. First, no one can "replace" a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame coach like Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, who has moved on to the University of North Carolina-Wilmington and the Colonial Athletics Association (CAA). Cooper-Dyke was hired away from Prairie View A&M (without a fight) for a mere $25,000 annual increase in pay.

This is where the PVAMU administration and I differ -- "Never let anyone hire away your top coach in the conference without a "battle." Otherwise, you will never be respected as an institution, conference and competitor, nor will your constituents believe that you are serious about your business in intercollegiate athletics."

To make matters worst for Prairie View, the gem of the Lady Panthers 2010/11 recruiting class -- Charlotte Amalie High School star center Aesha Peters has decided to follow Cooper-Dyke to the Colonial Athletic Association school. The 6'-4" Saint Thomas, Virgin Islands native was just what the doctor ordered in talent at center to take the Lady Panthers to the next level in 2010/11.

The difficult task now facing coach Toyelle Wilson, a 28 year old first- time head coach is holding together a recruitment class that is the best the Southwestern Athletic Conference has seen in the past 30 years. In addition to Peters, the Lady Panthers had inked to National Letters of Intent:

Alisha Andrews, Guard, 5-4 Freshman, Stone Mountain, Ga. Redan High School; Ranked as the 31st best point guard prospect in the nation with a grade of 90 by ESPN.com and second-best point guard in the state of Georgia…averaged 14 points, six assists and 4.3 steals…shot 40 percent from the three-point line…earned First Team All-Metro Dekalb County Honors…led her team on a 58-game winning streak….guided Redan back to the state finals as a senior where they fell in the state championship game to finish with a 31-1 record in 2009-10…dished out 11 assists on two occasions during senior campaign…also scored 32 points in a contest and recorded 10 steals in a game…drained seven three-pointers against Luella High School…scored over 1,000 points as a four-year starter in high school.

Gabrielle Scott, Guard, 5-8 Freshman, Vancleave, Miss. Vancleave H.S; Listed as the second-best player in the state of Mississippi by ESPN.com…ranked fourth by Mississippi Sportstalk.com…averaged 20 points and five assists as a senior…finalist for the Biloxi and South Mississippi Sun Herald Basketball Player of the Year…guided her team to the Class 5A South State semifinals…earned district MVP and all-state honorable mention honors.

Tesha Stokes, Forward, 6-0 Freshman, H, Hawthorne, Calif. Morningside H.S; Younger sister of former Lady Panther standout and first-ever recruit under Cooper-Dyke in Twila Stokes (2005-2009)…averaged 12.4 points, 15.4 rebounds and 4.1 blocked shots per game as a senior…earned second-team honors by the Los Angeles Wave newspaper…named to the 2009-10 All CIF-Southern Section / SCIBA 4AA Second Team…played in the East-West 110 All-Star Basketball Game…ranked 54th nationally among class of 2010 standouts by Carolina’s Scouting Report…a rebounding machine as she pulled down 20-plus rebounds in 10 games this season…had seven games with 10 or more offensive rebounds…grabbed 10 or more rebounds in 26 of 30 games played as a senior.

Ryven Jackson, Guard, 5-9 Freshman, Little Rock, Arkansas Parkview; Earned Class 6A Girls All-State Honors….selected to play in the 2010 East-West Tyson/Arkansas Army National Guard High School Coaches Association in June…guided team to the Class 6A State Tournament…participated in the 11th Annual Arkansas Democrat-Gazette All-Metro Basketball Game…tournament MVP of Martin Luther King Tournament in Memphis, Tenn. and made history as the first girl’s out-of-state team to win the girl’s championship…ranked among the top prospects in the state of Arkansas.

Damika Abria Trice, Guard/Forward, 6-1 Freshman, Atlanta, Georgia, Dutchtown; Averaged 12.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and one block per game…can play both guard and post…guided team to the semifinals of the 2010 Georgia High School Association Class 4A Girls State Tournament…earned All-Southern Crescent Honors…also played softball and earned Class 4A First Team All-Region Honors at shortstop.

The future success of the Coach Wilson era will be dictated by the decisions made by these 18 year old that now have a choice to request a release from the NCAA from their NLI or stay put at Prairie View A&M. The outcome of this process will be announced at some point before the Fall term. Right now, their decision can go either way and it will lay the foundation on the future success of the Lady Panthers basketball program. Let's be honest here; without the thoroughbreds, Toyelle Wilson will become just another ordinary HBCU coach toiling in obscurity.

Nevertheless, I like this hire! Now, the rest of the story...

Wilson Elevated to head women's basketball coach

Prairie View A&M University Athletic Director Fred Washington announced today the promotion of Toyelle Wilson to head coach of the women’s basketball team. “We’re glad to have been able to retain Coach Wilson and are excited about the future of our women’s basketball program,” said Washington. “Wilson has been a part of all the success we’ve had and is deserving of a chance to show everyone her ability to coach on this level.”

Prior to accepting the position of head coach, Wilson spent the past four seasons as the top assistant coach for the Lady Panthers and played a large role in Prairie View A&M’s success with four consecutive postseason appearances, three straight Southwestern Athletic Conference regular season titles, two NCAA Tournament and two Women's NIT berths. Off the court, Wilson was involved in all aspects of the program with special emphasis on recruiting, the development of the team’s perimeter players, scouting, film breakdown, game strategy and operations such as team travel.

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