Jacksonville, Florida-In recognition and celebration of Women's History Month, we will highlight our female coaches and staff on their successes and where they see the future of females in sports. Our first feature is on a woman that has laid an incredible and long lasting foundation for Edward Waters women's basketball, head coach Charmaine Wilson.

Just completing her 12th season at the helm of the Edward Waters women's basketball squad and an incredible run in the program's first appearance at the SIAC Basketball Tournament, head coach Charmaine Wilson has built a formidable and successful program at EWU.

The Hemingway, South Carolina native led EWU to three 20+ win seasons, including a program best 25-6 overall mark which included a modern era record 14-game winning streak. Additionally, Wilson has led the Lady Tigers to three appearances at the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Championship Game, and the 2020-21 GCAC Regular Season Championship. She was also selected as the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Coach of the Year during that season as well. Of the seven players in the modern history of EWU Women's Basketball that are members of the 1000 Point Club, Wilson has mentored four of them, Kyeshia Dawkins ('16), Jermisha Collins, (19), Mia Leite ('20), and the all-time leading scorer and rebounder in program history, LaQuanza Glover ('22). During this past season, Wilson made history, winning her 200th career contest in an upset quarterfinal victory over Savannah State at the SIAC Tournament.

Sports Information Director Joshua C. Jackson and SID Intern Chandrae Bethea got an opportunity to sit down with Coach Wilson to get her thoughts on her career and the direction of women's basketball.

Joshua Jackson: "You had an incredibly successful career as a player and team captain at South Carolina State, what made you want to get into coaching?"

Coach Wilson: "I missed the idea of playing and being a part of a team. I tried out for the Washington Mystics along with 300 other players and when the realization began to set in that my playing days were over, I wanted to get into something similar. I ran into (former Allen University Head Men's Basketball Coach) Marvin Orange and he asked me was I interested in coaching. I really hadn't given it too much thought, but at that rate that's what sparked the interest in being a coach. The following week, we played pick up basketball and he asked again was I interested. I said yes and the very next day, I was offered to be the assistant women's basketball coach at Allen at just 23 years old. At 25, I was elevated to be the interim head coach of the women's program where I helped to make history in achieving the first victory for an AU basketball squad men or women to win a game at the Eastern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (EIAC) Basketball Tournament. Once I got that first taste of coaching, there was no turning back."

JJ: "After your stint at Allen, you went down to Bethune-Cookman as an assistant coach where you spent seven seasons laying a great foundation that still stands to this day. What was your experience like there in helping to turn the fortunes of that program around?"

CW: "When I went down to Bethune-Cookman in 2004, I was very fortunate to work under (former BCU head coach) Francis Simmons, and even more fortunate to be retained under (former BCU/current George Mason head coach) Vanessa Blair. I grew into a better coach under her and developed a relationship that still stands to this day. She's a big reason for my success. True story, I took what she did offensively and defensively at BCU and put my own spin on it here at Edward Waters and it shows with the success we've had here. I don't believe in reinventing the wheel, I took the wheel that she gave me, put it to my liking, and I've been really fortunate to have that success here.

JJ: "You've just completed your 12th season at the helm of the EWU women's basketball program and you've made this into one of the premier HBCU basketball programs in the country. You've seen this program go from the NAIA level and now in the midst of the transition to the NCAA Division II level. You've also seen several changes at EWU and with EWU Athletics. What keeps you coming back here year in and year out?"

CW: "I'll start with setting a foundation. I wanted to leave footprints here and I wanted to show that Charmaine Wilson was a great head coach and not just someone's assistant. I was a sponge, but I wanted and still want to show that I can teach the game as well. 12 years is no easy task and those first couple of years were not easy. You have to weed out the old and get your style of player into your program. The last 10 seasons have been phenomenal for me here.  We've stepped into NCAA Division II and SIAC play and we had an amazing run to the semifinals of our first SIAC Tournament as a major underdog.  Now the bar is set even higher, President Faison likes to win now, and I want to give him and the program what he wants. Passion is a major driver in what keeps me going. I don't know too many people who get up wanting to go to work but I am blessed to get up and I look forward to coming to work everyday and impacting these young ladies positively. We have a platform and I choose to use my platform to keep inspiring these young ladies everyday."

JJ: "Speaking of that platform and it being Women's History Month. Coincidentally enough, the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament is going on and we have over the past decade seen a major groundswell for women's college basketball over the years. Starting with great African-American female head coaches like (former Cheyney State and Rutgers head coach) C. Vivian Stringer and (former Purdue head coach) Carolyn Peck to current coaches like (South Carolina head coach) Dawn Staley, (Notre Dame head coach) Niele Ivey, (Ole Miss head coach) Yolett McPhee-McCuin and the list goes on and on. That has to make you feel proud to be a part of that sorority of great African-American women head coaches.

CW: "Dawn Staley is at the top right now, a spot that she has earned over the past few years. She's a speaker, she's a motivator, and she's an inspiration. She inspires me to be an even better head coach for my young ladies. You've named some incredible, inspirational, and powerful head coaches and I am just blessed to be here and ride this wave for women's basketball."

JJ: "Going back to your finishing your 12th season here at EWU, more of an emphasis has been placed on mental health. The players that you have coached maybe 10 or 15 years ago, that style may not resonate with today's player. Have you had to do some adjusting to how you have coached from your first years as a head coach to now?"

CW: "I'll use LaQuanza Glover for an example. She came in to our program as an extremely cocky kid, but she talked the talk and even more so walked the walk. That's why I appreciate her. She was a kid with a lot of attitude coming in as a freshman. We had a sit down and I basically told her it was gonna be either you or me. We came to a happy medium, but she taught me that I have to change my delivery. I see that some players have trigger points. She allowed me to see a difference in my interaction and conversation with my players and that time in 2017, I realized that I needed to change to relate better to my players. Though I've changed my style, my goals are still the same, my expectations of my young ladies on and off of the floor remain the same and we have one collective unit that is all pulling in the same direction. I think that nowadays, coaches have to be mindful of how the world has changed and how student-athletes are changing in order to be successful."

JJ: "Final Question. You definitely are an inspiration as you have so many people, especially females around campus that look up to you. For the next generation young ladies that want to pursue coaching, that want to be the next Charmaine Wilson, what advice would you give them in order to attain and maybe even exceed your accomplishments in the future?"

CW: "I'll use a quote that I use all of the time. Trust The Process, Be Consistent, Be Loyal, Be True To Yourself. Those things have helped me along the way and I know they will help the next generation moving forward."

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