North Carolina Central University Women's Basketball

Olivia Gaines was officially named Head Women’s Basketball Coach at North Carolina Central on Friday, May 8. This is the first head coaching position on the Division I level for Gaines, a rising coach in the profession. Gaines has gained a reputation for building winning programs and developing student-athletes. “We are thrilled to welcome Coach Gaines to the Eagle family,” said NCCU Director of Athletics Dr. Louis “Skip” Perkins. “She is a proven winner at every level and has shown the ability to develop and nurture student-athletes while building successful teams. We believe Coach Gaines is the right person to elevate the program.” Gaines previously coached at Allen the past two seasons. She turned the women’s basketball program into a contender after Allen’s recent transition to the Division II level. During her two-year tenure as head coach, Allen posted a 36-19 overall record, including a 29-14 conference mark, in the SIAC from 2024 to 2026. In her first season, Gaines led Allen to program records in the Division II era for single-season wins (18) and conference victories (13). This year, Allen tied last season’s win total while setting a new league mark with 16 victories. Under Gaines’ leadership, Tailah Wesley was named SIAC Player of the Year and Eboni Clay was chosen SIAC Freshman of the Year in the 2024-25 season. It is the first time an Allen player won either award in program history. Before coming to Allen, Gaines was an assistant coach on the Division I level for one season (2023-24) at Georgia Southern. Prior to her time at Georgia Southern, Gaines gained a winning reputation in the junior college ranks. In the 2022-23 season, she guided Richard Bland to a 29-3 record and a trip to the NJCAA national championship game, finishing runner-up in its first-ever season. Her first collegiate head coaching position was at USC Salkehatchie from 2020 to 2022. Gaines led the Indians to a 20-2 mark and the NJCAA Region 10 Championship in her first season (2020-21). She was named Region 10 Coach of the Year for her efforts. Gaines became head coach at USC Salkehatchie after stints as an assistant coach at Vassar and Northwestern Oklahoma State. She was a high school head coach at Andrew Jackson, Fort Dorchester and Cross in South Carolina. Before embarking on a coaching career, Gaines tasted success as a collegiate basketball player, most notably at South Carolina under Head Coach Dawn Staley. During Gaines’ two seasons, South Carolina won the SEC Tournament, shared the regular-season title and reached the Final Four in 2015 while claiming the SEC regular-season crown in 2014. Gaines was a sought-after recruit after two stellar seasons at Louisburg (N.C.). She was named WBCA National Junior College Player of the Year and led Louisburg to the NJCAA Division II national title in 2013. Two years before, she was an All-State high school player as a senior at Chester. A standout point guard and defensive specialist, Gaines was a winner on the collegiate and high school levels. Her Chester High School teams lost only 12 games in four years and Louisburg lost twice over a two-year period. During her two seasons at South Carolina, Gaines helped architect a budding dynasty. She played on the team that reached the first of many Final Four appearances for the Gamecocks. A native of Chester, S.C., Gaines earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from South Carolina in 2015 and an associate degree in sociology from Louisburg in 2013.            

Cassie King returns to her alma mater where she is a hoops legend. The Eagles' legend enters her second season as assistant coach on the North Carolina Central women's basketball team. She formerly coached at East Wake High School in Wendell, N.C., her alma mater, for 15 years before elevating to the collegiate level. The Wendell, N.C., native really made a name for herself as a collegiate player at NCCU. She is the school’s all-time leading scorer and second-leading rebounder in women’s basketball history. In 2017, King was inducted into the NCCU Alex M. Rivera Athletic Hall of Fame. She has a banner hanging in rafters of McDougald-McLendon Arena where she will be coaching. During King’s playing career, NCCU was playing in the prestigious CIAA. When her final game ended as a collegian, she was the fourth leading scorer and seventh leading rebounder in CIAA history. King is only the second player in CIAA history to amass over 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. King was a highly decorated forward during her four-year career at NCCU. She was a three-time all-conference player and four-time All-CIAA tournament selection. Her biggest honor was winning the 2007 CIAA Tournament MVP after leading the Eagles to their first conference championship in 23 years and second straight NCAA Tournament appearance. No game epitomized King’s athletic skills like the Bowie State contest in the 2005 CIAA Tournament. She poured in a tournament-record 59 points to lead NCCU past Bowie State. It has since been tied. A CIAA Hall of Famer, King is looking to help the current Eagles achieve similar success as a coach.    

Brett Vana enters his first season as assistant coach on the women's basketball staff at North Carolina Central. Vana is a championship coach who arrives at NCCU from Millersville, where he was an assistant coach since 2023. His relationship with Gaines goes all the way back to his coaching days at Louisburg (N.C.). He brings a defensive mindset and energy along with the ability to develop players to NCCU. "Coach Brett Vana played a huge role in my development as a player at Louisburg College," Gaines said. "Winning a national championship under his leadership showed me firsthand what a true winner looks like. He brings a wealth of experience. I learned from one of the best coaches in the game." As head coach, Vana led Louisburg to the national junior college crown in the 2012-13 season. His star player was Gaines, who was the junior college national player of the year before competing at South Carolina under Head Coach Dawn Staley. Louisburg won two region titles and reached two consecutive Final Fours in addition to capturing the national title under Vana, who was named junior college national head coach of the year. During his two seasons at Louisburg, his teams posted a 63-5 mark. His success at Louisburg started a 20-plus year collegiate coaching career including stops at Knox, Millersville and Division I programs Western Kentucky, Weber State and Chicago State as an assistant. He also coached internationally in Switzerland, Denmark and Germany. Millersville made the postseason in each of Vana’s three seasons despite playing in one of the nation’s toughest Division II conferences (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference). Under his guidance and recruiting, Millersville had success in the classroom and on the floor with numerous academic and athletic achievements (All-Academic & Athletic Honors). Vana helped direct Knox to a school-record 22 wins, a conference title and an NCAA Division III Tournament berth behind the league’s top-ranked defense as an assistant coach under Coach Kira Mowen. Bolstered by a defense that allowed just 57.6 points per game, Knox recorded a 15-1 record in conference play. His coaching career started successfully in 1997 as an assistant boys’ basketball coach at Providence Day (N.C.) High School. The team won the state title in his only season at Providence Day. Vana later became the graduate assistant coach at Division I Western Kentucky University in 1998 and then spent the over a decade overseas as an international coach and general manager of Europe's top men's and women's teams. In addition to collegiate coaching, Vana was a trainer and talent evaluator at the Champions Academy in Indianapolis, Ind., and an athletic director at Independence (Kan.) Community College. As a collegian, Vana was a standout basketball player at Lake Erie from 1991 to 1995. A four-year starter, Vana was the record holder in five major statistical categories during his career - points scored, field goals made, free throws made, steals and assists. His highlights include being selected Male Athlete of the Year at Lake Erie and landing on the NAIA All-Region squad.  Vana graduated with a bachelor of science degree in chemistry in 1995. Only five years later, he was inducted into his school's Athletic Hall of Fame for his achievements.  

Rakim Gregory begins his first season at North Carolina Central as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator on the women's basketball staff. Gregory has built a reputation for developing talent after coaching nearly a decade on the collegiate and high school levels. His recruiting prowess comes from eight years of coaching and evaluating players on the travel ball circuit. He was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator under Gaines when she was head coach at Allen during the 2024-25 season. During Gaines' impressive two-year run, Allen was 36-19 overall, including a 29-14 conference mark, from 2024 to 2026. Allen set single-season program records in the Division II era for overall (18) and conference (16) victories. Gregory was instrumental in his only season at Allen under Gaines. In addition to setting a school record for wins, Allen produced its first SIAC Player of the Year and SIAC Freshman of the Year in school history. "Rakim Gregory was instrumental to our success at Allen University as recruiting coordinator in 2024-2025," Gaines said. "His work ethic and ability to connect with student-athletes are second to none. He knows the system and understands the type of players we want to bring in. I'm excited to work alongside him again." Gregory comes to NCCU from Palmetto (S.C.) Scholars Academy where he was head girls’ basketball coach this past season. His coaching career includes stints at Summerville High School, Stall High School, Fort Dorchester High School and Oklahoma Panhandle State in addition to Allen and Palmetto Scholars Academy. During Gregory's coaching career, numerous players developed into All-State and All-Region standouts and earned spots on college rosters. In travel ball, Gregory worked with elite prospects and made recruiting connections while coaching at major events such as the Nike EYBL, Under Armour and adidas tournaments. Known for his passion for mentoring young women, recruiting, player development, and building winning cultures, Gregory is committed to helping student-athletes grow academically, athletically, and personally while advancing the tradition of excellence at NCCU. "I want to sincerely thank Coach Olivia Gaines for her mentorship, belief, and support throughout my coaching journey," Gregory said. "I am also incredibly grateful to the North Carolina Central athletic administration and Coach Gaines for the opportunity to join such a prestigious university and championship-driven program. It is an honor to represent NCCU, and I am excited to help develop our student-athletes while contributing to the continued success of Eagle women's basketball."

Demario Johnson Jr. is a strength and conditioning coach with the North Carolina Central University football program. Previously, Johnson served as a graduate assistant with the Athletic Performance Department at Michigan State University. Prior to Michigan State, Johnson spent a year at Duke University, where he completed a sports performance internship working with seven varsity sports. He also spent the summer of 2023 interning with North Carolina Central with the football team’s strength and conditioning staff.   He earned his Bachelor of Science in physical education from North Carolina Central in 2016, where he was a student-athlete on the football team from 2011-15. Upon graduating, Johnson spent four years as the Director of Physical Education and Assistant Head Football Coach at one of the premiere high schools in Chicago, Illinois.