North Carolina Governor latest to honor WSSU women

HBCU Gameday fittingly caught up with Winston-Salem State head coach Tierra Terry off a historic bus ride from the capital of North Carolina.

Just hours after the Winston-Salem State women's basketball team was honored by its local government, it was on the move again. This time, the destination was Raleigh. The team visited the Governor's Mansion and was recognized by North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein. It was another stop in what has become a whirlwind spring for the program. It has gone from the shadows of its own campus to being celebrated in every corner of the state.

Inside Whitaker Gymnasium on April 21, the WSSU head coach was finally able to reflect on what the time had done.

"It doesn't feel like ancient history because I'm just now able to fully embrace it," Terry said. "Once the season was going, it's hard to say, ‘Oh, I won a championship.' Then move on to the NCAA tournament. So I really didn't have time to reflect on it until now."

That made the timing of the back-to-back honors feel fitting.

Winston-Salem, North Carolina honor WSSU

On Monday, Winston-Salem's City Council recognized the Lady Rams for a season that changed the history of the program. Councilwoman Barbara H. Burke, a WSSU alumna, presented the resolution. It declared April 20, 2026, as Winston-Salem State University Lady Rams Day. Chancellor Bonita J. Brown and Terry both addressed the room. The ceremony celebrated a team that finished 28-4, went 13-0 at home, won the first CIAA women's basketball championship in school history. It also came within seconds of advancing to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight.

Then came Tuesday’s trip to Raleigh and being recognized by the North Carolina General Assembly.

"First we'd like to thank Governor Stein and the mayor for inviting us to the governor's mansion," Terry said. "You can't put in words to have a day, a proclamation for a day for women's basketball, just how amazing that feels. Just to represent the university on a state level and just be recognized for all their hard work."

As always, Terry kept bringing the focus back to her players.

"They deserve all the flowers," she said. "I'm glad to see them getting them. Just really, really proud of what this team has accomplished this year."

A full circle year

That pride means more when you look at where WSSU was just one year ago.

Terry took the job in April 2025, returning to a program she played for and later coached as an assistant. She was announced as the 12th head coach in WSSU women's basketball history. In her first season back, she led the Lady Rams to the best campaigns the program has ever seen. WSSU won 28 games, captured the 2026 CIAA title, reached the NCAA Division II Tournament Round of 16, and put the program on a national stage. Terry was named CIAA Coach of the Year. She later won the Clarence "Big House" Gaines Division II Coach of the Year award.

For Terry, that last honor hit differently.

"That was probably the craziest one," Terry said of the Big House Gaines award. "Because if you are a Winston graduate and Winston basketball fan, you know how major Big House Gaines was for this university, for the Winston-Salem community, for HBCUs."

She said the phone call announcing the honor left her stunned.

"That one made me really [say], ‘What did you just say? I got the Big House Gaines award?' So, I mean, that one, I'm just blown away because I know what he did for basketball."

The award carries special weight at WSSU and in North Carolina because Gaines is more than a basketball icon there. He is one of the foundational figures in the university's athletic history. The Hall of Fame coach led the Rams for 47 seasons, won 828 games, and captured the 1967 NCAA Division II national title.

Passing Out The Flowers

Even with the individual honors piling up, Terry still frames the season as a group effort.

"I owe it all to them, because really, you know, a head coach can't be great without the people surrounding them," she said, crediting her assistants and staff.

That group includes the players who fueled the turnaround.

Maia Charles became one of the faces of the championship run. Niveah Farmer gave WSSU another major piece on both ends of the floor. Alana Biosee stepped up in big moments. Freshman Breonna Roaf emerged quickly enough to claim CIAA Rookie of the Year honors. Those players are among the key returners as Terry looks ahead to Year Two. That matters because while WSSU is losing important veterans in Jakaiya Mack and grad student Makayla Waleed, the core of the roster remains intact.

Terry made clear that continuity could become the next advantage for the program.

"With all the returners, you are now the standard," she said. "So anyone that comes in our program has to hear from you what it took to win a championship. You have to set the example."

That is a different conversation than the one WSSU was having a year ago.

From New Vision To New Standard

Back then, Terry was introducing a new vision. Now she is protecting a new standard. WSSU is returning nine players from the championship team, according to Terry. It is also working the transfer portal, high school ranks, and junior college pipeline to fill the roster spots available.

"We are returning nine from that team," Terry said. "So it's a good foundation. They understand what it takes."

She also believes WSSU now has something every successful program needs once it breaks through: proof.

Proof that the work works and that players can win there. Proof that the university, the city, and now the state will rally around them when they do.

North Carolina has taken notice

"I mean, Winston-Salem State's a great university," Terry said. "I'm a little biased, but I think it's a great university." She pointed to academics, alumni support, and what she called the pull of "Ram pride."

Then she got to the part that may matter most for the future.

"The school itself, it sells itself, but we try to create an environment that people enjoy, that people want to play in," Terry said. "That keeps them locked in."

That may be the biggest sign of how much WSSU has changed in one year.

A year ago, Terry was selling belief. This week, her team got off a bus from Raleigh carrying trophies, memories, and statewide recognition. The Lady Rams were not being introduced as a team with potential. They were being honored as champions.

And for a program that spent years chasing this kind of breakthrough, that is the real turnaround.

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This story was originally published April 22, 2026 at 7:57 AM.