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North Carolina A&T women's basketball head coach Tarrell Robinson arguably gave the best interview at media day. The conversation was full of in-depth analysis and a peek at the team's psyche going into the season. He also made sure to stand up for his team after hearing they finished low in the coaches poll.
The 2022-23 season marked the Aggies' first year in the CAA, and despite ranking 10th in the preseason coaches poll, they absolutely dominated. A&T came into their new conference ready to roll as they held the top seed for much of the season. Though they lost in the quarterfinals to Hofstra, the Aggies finished the regular season with an 18-12 record. They also went 12-6 in conference play.
Though others may have been shocked, Robinson is used to success. He's entering his 11th season as the head coach and, with a 175-92 record, has cemented himself as the winningest women's head coach in A&T history. The success and abrupt failure from last season forced Robinson to come up with a new message for the approaching season: consistency.
“One of the things I'm talking to our young women about is just being consistent: being consistent in our roles, and being consistent in our attention to detail.”
The Aggies finished fifth in the conference last season after holding the top spot for so long. The sudden drop off, along with the departure of leading scorer Jazmin Harris, sewed doubt amongst the other coaches. As a result, North Carolina A&T ranked 8th in the preseason coaches poll.
Obviously, Robinson wasn't thrilled to hear about that.
“This has been nothing but a personal and fun ride for me. That's why I also take us being picked 8th personally. I really do think we have an opportunity and a chance to prove Monica right as the dark horse. We're going to use that motivation, having been one of the teams that led the conference for a majority of the year and fell short at the end of our own rights, and that's some of the things we're talking about… Every day is personal for us.”
Though Harris is gone, Robinson was more than confident in the capabilities of his current roster, particularly in the Aggies' lead guards, Maleia Bracone and Jordyn Dorsey.
Bracone and Dorsey followed Harris in leading the team in points with 13.1 and 11.6, respectively. Neither player missed a game, and they both averaged over 30 minutes a night.
Bracone is the defensive specialist on the team. She averaged 2.6 steals last year, but Robinson thinks she's ready for more.
“Maleia, to me, she always takes a professional approach to everything. She's going to give her best effort, she's going to try to have attention to detail… I don't think Maleia is just a defensive player, I think everybody will see how well she can [play] offensively as well.”
Dorsey also drew admiration from her coach. Despite spending much of the summer away, Robinson said she came back and was immediately “our best player.”
“Jordyn is our engine, and she's had a fantastic summer… She's been lights out in terms of her leadership. She was voted again team captain… Jordyn is ready for the next level in terms of being one of the top guards in the CAA.”
At the end of his interview, Robinson made sure to heap praise on to his 6'4″ redshirt sophomore center, Chaniya Clark. In Jazmin Harris' absence, Clark's role should expand in the upcoming season.
“Chaniya Clark, the transformation of her body and the work that she's done this summer, I think the league is going to be really excited about that 6'4″ kid who can handle and shoot threes. Her nickname is ‘Shaq' so she's able to dominate in the paint.”
Before logging off, Robinson made sure not to mince words about his expectations for the team.
“There shouldn't be a doubt right now that, if we follow the same course, and have more understanding, where we'll be at the end of the season.”
The Aggies begin their season on Monday, Nov. 6 against the University of Georgia.
