Campus Echo StaffThe N.C. Central University Department of Athletics announced that women’s basketball head coach Terrence Baxter will not return after completing his fifth season with the Eagles.
Baxter spent two seasons as interim head coach before being officially named head coach prior to the 2025-26 season.
Baxter played a key role in the program’s improvement, leading the Lady Eagles to a historic 2023-24 season. For the first time at the Division I level, NCCU posted a winning season, finishing 16-15 overall and 9-5 in conference play and advancing to the MEAC Tournament semifinals.
Before being named head coach, Baxter joined the program as an assistant in June 2021.
He was promoted to interim head coach in October 2023 after Trisha Stafford-Odom was relieved of her duties in September.
In his first season leading the program, Baxter guided the Lady Eagles to a winning record and one of their most successful seasons in recent history.
He was officially named head coach Nov. 4, 2024.
Assistant coach Cassie King described working with Baxter as “wonderful”.
“We kind of had the same ideas of what we wanted the girls to do,” King said. “And that was to compete at all levels.”
In his first full season in the head coach role, NCCU finished 9-20 overall and 6-8 in conference play, earning the No. 5 seed in the MEAC Tournament before falling in the quarterfinals.
Prior to the tournament, the NCCU women’s basketball team closed its regular season with a 67-41 victory over South Carolina State in its final home game at McDougald-McLendon Arena.
After a competitive first quarter, the Lady Eagles tightened their defense in the second, holding South Carolina State to just one point and taking control of the game.
Scoring was evenly distributed, with no player reaching double figures.
Morgan Callahan led the Eagles with nine points, while Natalie Jasper and Aniya Finger added eight points each.
“Senior day all over again for our seven seniors,” NCCU head coach Terrence Baxter said.
“There’s a lot of emotion right now, but we’re trying to hold that back because we know we have another game to play on Thursday.”
Although it was not officially Senior Night, which was celebrated in February, the game carried a similar emotional weight.
It also served as Greek Night, honoring Divine Nine culture throughout the evening. During timeouts and halftime, each organization showcased its signature strolls, bringing energy and pride to the arena.
NCCU finished MEAC play with a 5-9 conference record and 9-19 overall. The win also marked the ninth consecutive victory over South Carolina State.
With emotions running high for seniors and graduate players, the Lady Eagles turned their focus to the MEAC Tournament, entering as the No. 5 seed to face No. 4 seed Coppin State.
Entering the matchup, Nccu had lost both previous meetings against Coppin State this season. Graduate duo Callahan and Finger combined for 28 points, but inconsistent shooting led to a 70-52 loss, ending the Lady Eagles’ season in the first round of the tournament.
Following the game, Callahan said the outcome was not how she wanted to end her season but expressed gratitude for her time at NCCU.
“I’ve had a great experience at Central,” Callahan said. “I say all the time that there’s nowhere else I’d want to be.”
As the season concluded, the Lady Eagles earned multiple accolades for on- and off-court achievements.
Callahan and Finger were named to the All-MEAC second team at the tournament, while Finger also earned a spot on the BOXTOROW HBCU Division I Women’s Basketball All-America Team.
Three Lady Eagles, graduate and junior guards Nia Young and Aysia Hinton, and sophomore forward Dianna Blake, were named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Division I Women’s Basketball Team for their classroom performance. The three hold GPAs of 3.75, 3.59, and 3.71.
Following the season, NCCU enter the offseason searching for a new head coach while focusing on player development and recruiting, with several graduate players potentially concluding their careers.
Written by Alexander Murphy and Layla Steele
