Fisk Lady Bulldogs 2023-24 Season Review:

Fisk University Head Coach Victoria Crawford had a goal in mind when the season started. That goal was to become the first Fisk Athletic team to win a Gulf Coast Athletic Conference championship. In her preseason press conference, she used a wedding reference to describe her team. Something, old, something new, something borrowed and something blue.

"We have a pretty good mix of veterans and newcomers," said Crawford, before the season started. "Some old, some new, some borrowed, and our main color is blue. We came in last year and had to work through some things, but we were playing well at the right time. This year, we want to get off to a fast start and peak during the tournament. I like this team. We are excited to get going."

Injuries played a big part in her team not starting fast. They played without their top two returning rebounders NAIA All American Maya Buckhanon and Anaya Davis and were blown out of the first two games.

Davis' injury became season ending. Buckhanon debuted in the third game, and they won two in a row to even their record, but lost JUCO transfer Kierra Fulton for the season. They finished November with a 2-5 record.

December was a much better month. Fisk went 5-1 for the month, with their only loss coming to NCAA Division 1 Austin Peay State University. On December 12, Buckhanon won the NAIA National Player of the Week along with the Tennessee State Sports Writers Association and GCAC Player of the Week honors. Jayla Bibbs and Liz Gibbs both won GCAC Newcomer of the Week during the month. Though the five victories were a good sign, for Bibbs, it was the eight-point loss To Austin Peay that was the key to the season.

"We showed that we belong on the big stage," said Bibbs. "We were leading in the fourth quarter and they took over at the end. After the game, no one was satisfied. We knew we should have beaten them. We carried that mentality the rest of the season."

Fisk went on to win their first five games in January, all GCAC matchups. A January 27 loss to Philander Smith on the road was their only loss. They then went on a six-game winning streak to begin February. Buckhanon won her second NAIA Player of the Week honor of the season when she scored 37 points and grabbed 11 rebounds at Dillard on February 15, then two days later, she broke GCAC and Fisk records by scoring 60 points against Southern University of New Orleans.

The Lady Bulldogs finished the season with 18 wins. Crawford now has 37 wins in her two seasons. The best two-year stretch by a coach since Teresa Phillips won 38 in 1986-87 and 1987-88. Crawford will also try to be the first Fisk women's coach to win 20 games since Phillips did it in 1988.

Key to the Tournament

Fisk will need to lean on veteran leadership and tournament experience if they will have success in the tournament. Six players have GCAC tournament experience. This will be the third year four senior Zipporah Davis, and juniors Laila Eliotti and A'Niya Young. Davis poured in 32 points as a sophomore in the tournament. Eliotti won a state championship in high school her junior year. Maya Buckhanon, Mya Robinson, and De'lesia Scott will be playing for the second time in the tournament.

Crawford Charisma

Head coach Victoria Crawford has gained a lot of ground in the community after only being in Nashville for a little over a year. She put on a fundraising golf tournament this summer that was well attended. Crawford has crossed with some of the Who's Who of the Nashville scene, including Johari Matthews of the Tennessee Titans, politicians like Deputy Mayor Brenda Haywood, State Representative Dr. Harold Love, and Criminal Court Clerk Howard Gentry. When she arrived to play at the University of Memphis, she followed Nashville Judge Rachel Bell there.

Maya's Many Accolades

Maya Buckhanon returns this season after being named to the NAIA All-American Second Team. Buckhanon was the GCAC Most Valuable and Defensive Player of the Year. So far this season, she has been named the GCAC Player of the Week eight times, the TSWA Player of the Week three, and she was voted as the NAIA National Player of the Week twice.

Hanging With Coach Cooper

Last season, Anthony Cooper was named the GCAC Assistant Coach of the Year. Cooper is one of the hottest prospects around the country for a head coaching job.

Eliotti Excels

Junior Laila Eliotti has represented Fisk well on and off the court. The Computer Science major spent part of her last two summers in Seattle, Washington, interning with the Meta University Software Engineering Academy and Zillow.

Zip, Fast and in a Hurry

Senior Zipporah Davis is the lone returner named to the GCAC all-preseason team. She is ranked second in returner scorers on the team at 9.3 ppg. Her quickness on the defensive end will also be depended upon for the Lady Bulldog's success this season.

The Young and The Relentless

Off the court, junior power forward A'Niya Young's smile will light up any room. On the court, her competitive nature is a vast difference from the caring sweet young lady that loves to babysit Crawford's daughter Londyn and loves all kids in general. That tough demeanor might come from her father's side of the family, where she is the only girl and out of six children.

Her older brother Javonta Payton played wide receiver at the University of Tennessee and was in camp with the Arizona Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles. Twin brothers Marek and Mykkell Smith-Banks currently play football, track & field, and wrestle at Bluefield University. and two other brothers, McKinley Young III and McKai Young. She also has two sisters on her mother's side Armani and Alysia Knight,

Young's athletic pedigree is rich as her father McKinley Young Jr. and mother April Johnson both played basketball at Fisk. She wears the number 32 that her mother wore. Young's grandfather McKinley Young Sr. is a former basketball and baseball coach at Fisk, and he is a Hall of Famer at Miles College.

Old Faces, Same Spaces

Some old faces are back on the court for Fisk. After taking a year off, junior post player De'Lesia Scott and classmate power forward Mya Robinson are back in uniform. They, along with A'Niya Young and Eliotti, were part of the Notorious Nine recruiting class of 2021.

Something New

Freshmen Janiesse Armstrong and Jordyn Bailey filled in nicely in their collegiate season. They both showed great court awareness and presence from the point guard position.

Something Borrowed

Bibbs and Gibbs' names not only rhyme, but when they are on the court together, they have rhythm. Both players won GCAC Newcomer of the Week honors, with Bibbs, a transfer from Fort Scott Community College, winning twice.

Gibbs, who has been nursing injuries for most of the season, came to Nashville from Austin Peay State University. Fisk also picked up guard Courtney Lumpkins who transferred mid-season.

Player of the Week Honors National (2)

Maya Buckhanon – December 12, 2023

Maya Buckhanon – February 20, 2024

Tennessee State Writers Association (3)

Maya Buckhanon – November 21, 2023

Maya Buckhanon – December 12, 2023

Maya Buckhanon – February 20, 2024

Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (8)

Maya Buckhanon – November 20, 2023

Maya Buckhanon – December 4, 2023

Maya Buckhanon – December 12, 2023

Maya Buckhanon – December 19, 2023

Maya Buckhanon – December 26, 2023

Maya Buckhanon – January 9, 2024

Maya Buckhanon – January 15, 2023

Maya Buckhanon – February 19, 2023

GCAC Newcomer of the Week (3)

Jayla Bibbs – December 4, 2023

Liz Gibbs – December 26, 2023

Jayla Bibbs – February 5, 2024

By The Numbers

14.9- Buckhanon rebound per game average which leads the country.

19.2 – Fisk's team rebounding margin that leads the country and is a GCAC record.

491 – Free throws made that lead the GCAC and is fourth in the nation.

719 – Free throws attempted that lead the nation.

6 – Players that have scored at least 100 points this season.

83 – Percent that Laila Eliotti shoots from the free throw line.

0 – Games won at a neutral site. (only one game played).