Tennessee State’s Aaron Nkrumah among elite pro prospects at NBA Combine
NEW YORK – After an outstanding performance at the AWS NBA G League Combine this past weekend, Tennessee State forward and 2026 Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Player of the Year Aaron Nkrumah is one of the over 70 players invited and participating in this week’s AWS NBA Draft Combine, May 10-17.
Nkrumah was one of 44 players at the G League Combine (May 8-10) in Chicago’s Wintrust Arena showcasing skills in front of scouts, coaches, and front-office executives. He was one of five players chosen from those workouts to join 73 others at the 2026 AWS NBA Draft Combine held at the same arena featuring top draft prospects (including potential lottery picks).
Nkrumah was hard to miss at the G-League Combine, according to a report on the event by Michael Baumbach.
According to Baumbach’s report, the 6-6 specimen had 22 points in one scrimmage and showed “defensive dynamism and versatile scoring” that made him a standout all week long. “He’s looking like a surefire call up (NBA) player,” Baumbach reported.
Nkrumah averaged 17.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.8 steals per game for the Tigers this season while shooting 35.1% from 3-point range. He led TSU to a share of the OVC regular season championship and the first OVC Tournament championship in three decades and its first NCAA Tournament bid since 1994. Nkrumah led the OVC in scoring and was second nationally in total steals with 92.
The list of activities and drills at the NBA Combine are on nba.com (https://www.nba.com/news/nba-draft-combine-overview-2026).
Olivia Gaines new head women’s basketball coach at N. C. Central
DURHAM, N.C. – North Carolina Central officially named Olivia Gaines as its new head women’s basketball coach on Friday, May 8. An official press conference was held on Wednesday, May 13, at the William Jones building on campus at 10 a.m.
An emerging coach in the profession, Gaines has produced successful seasons at multiple collegiate programs, most recently at Allen, which recorded back-to-back winning records the past two years.
Allen posted a 36-19 record, including a 29-14 conference mark, in the SIAC from 2024 to 2026. In her first season as head coach, 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.
Gaines returned to a head coaching role after one season (2023-24) as an assistant 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 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.
