By Brooks Warren
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
She’s tired of the doubt. Winning the Colonial Athletic Association conference championship should have put that to rest.
She’s tired of being perpetually underrated. Winning CAA tournament most outstanding player after scoring 20 points in the championship game should have ended that narrative.
But Nukiya Mayo still feels she has something to prove in 2019-20. And so does the Towson women’s basketball team.
Mayo, a senior from New York, has one more chance to make a mark. She’ll be doing it with her two best friends on the team. The campaign to repeat as CAA champs begins Tuesday as Towson hosts Penn State (4 p.m., SECU Arena).
Last season, Mayo was the second leading scorer for the Tigers (14.3 points per game) and pulled down 7.6 rebounds per game. She made the all-CAA second team and CAA all-defensive team. She’s motivated this season to get onto the CAA first team. And she is motivated by experts picking Towson third in the CAA even after finishing 20-13 last season (11-7 in the CAA) and returning four starters.
Coach Diane Richardson is confident as well coming into the season.
“I think with our four returners, adding (sophomore) Shavonne Smith and adding (sophomore transfer guard from Savannah State) Myasia Jones, I think we’re going to see a lot of scoring this year,” Richardson said. “This year, with the pieces we bought in we’re going to be not only fast, but we’re also going to have length and I think we have six true post players on our team this year which is going to help us inside.”
Mayo will undoubtedly assume a leadership role this year, said assistant coach and director of operations Cheyenne Curley. Previously a quiet, lead-by-example type of player, Mayo would only speak up when necessary. But this year she has become more vocal and isn’t afraid to speak up when needed during practice or workouts, Curley said.
“ Kiya, she’s a great leader,” Curley said. “On and off the court she shows our kids, what they’re supposed to be doing, how they’re supposed to be done, she’s been a lot more vocal this year as a voice our kids need to hear.”
Her development as a leader of the team will be key this season for the Tigers as they look to integrate new players into the system. Mayo won’t be alone in assuming a leadership role. Redshirt junior guard Kionna Jeter and senior guard Q. Murray will be there will her. The Big Three, as they are called within the program, have formed a particularly tight bond over their nearly two-year relationship.
“All three of us are always with each other on and off the court,” Mayo said, smirking cheek to cheek. “ We’re just chilling in the room, playing video games, go out to the movies, to dinner. Go to the gym together.”
Besides competing on the court together the three live together off-campus, preferring to watch “Power” and play video games together in their apartments. Murray describes the relationship as sisterly, with Jeter being the little sister and Mayo being the baby of the group. Mayo even cooks an unusual snack for her roommates: fried Oreos.
“Kiya’s real good at making fried Oreos, so she makes it for us sometimes,” Murray said, “We just tried fried Oreos and we all just thought these smack. It’s kind of like a ritual for us now.”
For now, the trio is focused on improving on the court. Mayo likes what she sees heading into the year.
“ We have a lot of great depth like [coach Richardson] said,” Mayo said, “so that we don’t have to play as much, but we still have the same goal. We didn’t celebrate too much after the season was over because we knew we had to get right back to it.”