HBCU Basketball: Former Jackson State Lady Tigers Centers Are Making News In The WNBA And NCAA With UNC Charlotte

Former Jackson State Lady Tigers centers who played for Coach Tomekia Reed are making sporting news today. The 16-year absence of HBCU players in the WNBA continues as Angel Reese survived the Las Vegas Aces' second cut but failed to make the team's final roster. According to Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Callie Lawson-Freeman, the Aces waived Angel Reese to trim the roster to 12 players.   

Angel Jackson, a rising women's basketball star, was selected by the reigning WNBA champions as the 36th overall draft pick in the third round. She became the second player drafted by a WNBA team from Tomekia Reed's program.

Next, UNC Charlotte posted a video with transfer Daphane White committing to the 49ers program and reuniting with Coach Reed. The fifth-year center from Gulfport, Mississippi, was injured for most of the 2023-24 season. She will give the UNC Charlotte team a 6-foot and 5-inch defensive presence in the paint.

White averaged 17.3 minutes, 9.7 points, and 5.9 rebounds during two seasons at Jackson State. Defensively, she posted 39 blocks and eight steals for the Lady Tigers.