Fayetteville State basketball racks up awards heading into CIAA tournament

Posted by author February 25, 2025 Basketball

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BALTIMORE, Md. — Five Fayetteville State basketball players were honored with CIAA awards at the league’s tournament-opening banquet to kick off the 50th anniversary of the women’s championship, and the Broncos‘ Luke D’Alessio was named Coach of the Year.

Both FSU squads swept Southern Division regular-season crowns for the third straight season and both carry No. 1 seeds and an opening-round bye into the CFG Arena for this week’s CIAA tournament.

Tairell Fletcher and Caleb Simmons, the league’s No 2 and 3 scorers, were named All-CIAA. Fletcher scored 17.5 points per game while shooting 45% (No. 5 in the CIAA) and dishing out 4.5 assists per game (No. 4 in the CIAA) this season. This is his second straight All-CIAA Backcourt award.

Simmons averaged 17.2 points and 9.3 rebounds (No. 3 in the CIAA) while shooting 52% (No. 3 in the CIAA). Those two also shot better than 82% from the line as FSU finished the regular season ranked third in the nation in free-throw shooting at 80%, often leading the country through the season.

Coach D’Alessio led the league’s top-ranked defense and third-ranked offense to a 9-1 division record, going 12-4 in the conference and 21-7 overall for his third 20-win season in four at FSU. The coach notched a milestone 100th win with the program this season as the Broncos try to win their second CIAA championship in the last four years, and third overall. Fayetteville State received 19 votes and honorable mention status in the national NABC Coaches poll last week as the only HBCU listed.

FSU women’s coach Tyreece Brown won the coaching award last season and senior Aniylah Bryant was the CIAA Player of the Year as the Broncos put the finishing touches on the most successful season in program history with a league championship and NCAA Sweet 16 run.

Two returning players from that squad were honored Sunday, with last year’s CIAA Defensive Player of the Year Morgan Graham earning her second straight All-CIAA selection along with junior Talia Trotter. Fayetteville State’s KaNyah O’Neal was named to the CIAA All-Rookie Team after averaging 7.7 points and 2.1 steals her freshman season.

Trotter led the Broncos in scoring with an average of 13.6 points (No. 12 in the CIAA) and 2.8 assists (No. 6 in the CIAA). Graham averaged a team-high 7.9 rebounds (No. 8 in the CIAA), 2.2 blocks (No. 2 in the CIAA) and 7.4 points for the defending champs who went 18-7 overall, 13-3 in the CIAA and 9-1 in the Southern Division.

Former Seventy-First and Trinity Christian standout Xavier Tubbs-Mattews was named to the All-CIAA team after averaging 13.5 points and 4.2 assists for Elizabeth City State.