Georgia Southern WBB off to Best Start Since 1988
Georgia Southern Women’s Basketball is off to a 4-0 start for the first time since the 1988-89 season. After last season, Coach Anita Howard and AD Jared Benko mutually agreed to part ways and Coach Howard is now on the Mississippi State staff as an Assistant. Benko and his team conducted a national search and hired Coach Hana Haden from Georgia Southwestern State University, a Division-II program that plays in the Peach Belt Conference. In her lone season at GSW, she led the Canes to a 29-4 overall record and went 16-2 in Peach Belt Conference play. The Canes went on to win the Peach Belt Conference Tournament and earned their right to play in the Division II NCAA Tournament and the team ended their historic run with a loss in the Elite Eight. For her efforts, she earned the Division II National Coach of the Year award.
Haden immediately went to work recruiting players to head to Statesboro, Georgia. She retained just one player from the Eagles 2023-2024 roster in Liv Fuller, a sophomore forward from Clearwater, FL. She signed only three freshmen in G/F Tamiria Jones, G Jamiria Jones, and F Ashantay Noble and brought in nine transfers from the transfer portal to completely reshape the program.
New Faces in the Georgia Southern Women’s Basketball Program
Bukky Akinsola - Senior - Guard - High Point
McKenna Eddings - Senior - Guard - Auburn
Paris Gaines - Sophomore - Center - Kansas
Indya Green - Senior - Forward - Missouri State
Nicole Gwynn - Senior - Guard - Queens
Jazmyne Jackson - Junior - Guard - Grambling State
Leah Johnson - 5th Year Senior - Center - Georgia Southernwestern
Jamiria Jones - Freshman - Guard
Tamiria Jones - Freshman - Guard
Nakiyah Mays-Prince - Junior - Guard - Delaware
Ashantay Noble - Freshman - Forward
Deannasty Smith - Junior - Forward - Northwest Florida State
The Eagles have three players averaging more than ten points so far this season led by G Nicole Gwynn, who is averaging 13.3 PPG. In addition, G McKenna Eddings and G Nakiyah Mays-Prince are averaging 12.0 PPG and 10.8 PPG respectively. F Indya Green is nearly averaging a double-double as she has scored 9.3 PPG and pulled down 10.3 RPG through the first four games. The Eagles have beaten Ohio, North Florida, Bethune-Cookman, and Longwood so far this season. Their next game is in Washington, D.C. on November 23rd as they take on George Washington. The game will be live streamed on ESPN+, so be sure to watch this exciting squad try to continue their historic run. The Eagles have eight more non-conference games before beginning Sun Belt Conference play against ULM just before the new year.
Georgia Southern Women’s Basketball Remaining Games in 2024
11/23 - @ George Washington
11/29 - vs. Maryland Eastern Shore (Rutgers Battle on the Banks)
11/30 - @ Rutgers (Rutgers Battle on the Banks)
12/5 - vs. Jacksonville
12/13 - vs. Coastal Georgia
12/18 - vs. Florida Atlantic (GCU Women’s Basketball Have Fayth Christmas Classic)
12/19 - vs. Wright State (GCU Women’s Basketball Have Fayth Christmas Classic)
12/21 - @ Grand Canyon (GCU Women’s Basketball Have Fayth Christmas Classic)
12/29 - @ ULM
