Here are the top basketball players coming to Baltimore for the CIAA Tournament

Jacob Calvin Meyer, Baltimore Sun
Updated ·5 min read

The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association men’s and women’s basketball tournaments return to Baltimore this week for the second straight year.

The dual 12-team tournaments for the nation’s oldest historically Black athletic conference will be the first event held in the renovated CFG Bank Arena, formerly Baltimore Arena and Royal Farms Arena, since construction began 11 months ago.

The CIAA Tournament, which runs Tuesday through Saturday, will also showcase the NCAA Division II conference’s star players, some of the top HBCU basketball talent in the country and dozens of Baltimore area products.

Here are the top basketball players coming to Baltimore this week for the CIAA Tournament.

Men’s tournament

Francis Fitzgerald, Virginia State: The best 3-point shooter in the CIAA, Fitzgerald made 63 triples and shot 41.7% from behind the arc this season. Fitzgerald, a 6-foot-6 graduate senior guard, ranked fourth in the conference in points (15.6 per game) and fifth in rebounding (7).

Terrence Hunter-Whitfield, Virginia State: Hunter-Whitfield and Fitzgerald make up the best scoring duo in the conference to lead Virginia State, which is the No. 3 seed in the CIAA Tournament. Hunter-Whitfield, a senior forward, finished second in scoring (17.8) and steals (1.9) and third in field goal percentage (45.6%).

Robert Osborne, Virginia Union: A senior forward, Osborne is the CIAA’s leading scorer at 20.6 points per game — nearly three points more than any other player. The 6-5, 230-pound big man also finished second in rebounding at 9 per game and field goal percentage at 53.8%. Osborne on Monday was named the CIAA Men’s Player of the Year.

Cress Worthy, Fayetteville State: Worthy ranked seventh in scoring (13.3), fifth in assists (3.2) and eighth in steals (1.5) while also grabbing 4.8 rebounds per contest. The senior guard, a cousin of former NBA legend James Worthy, played 1,000 minutes in the regular season — 108 more than any other CIAA player — to lead Fayetteville State to the No. 2 seed.

Jailen Williams, Claflin: An all-around player, Williams finished the regular season top 10 in points (12.4), assists (2.9) and steals per game (1.9) while also being one of the best free throw shooters in the conference. The junior guard is the leading scorer on a Claflin team that went 19-6 and is the No. 4 seed.

Korey Williams, Lincoln: Williams ranked third in scoring at 17.2 points per game and is one of the CIAA’s top 3-point shooters and free-throw generators. The senior guard tied for fourth in made 3s at 60 and was fouled more than any other player, attempting 174 free throws and making a league-best 81.6% of them.

Raemaad Wright, Virginia Union: Playing alongside Osborne, the 6-7 senior forward is also a double-digit scoring threat (11.9 points per game) in addition to being the CIAA’s top rebounder (9.4). The potent frontcourt duo has led No. 1 seed Virginia Union to a 22-6 record and 12-4 mark in conference play.

Women’s tournament

Aniylah Bryant, Fayetteville State: A junior guard, Bryant led the defending champion Broncos in scoring at 12.6 points per game, which ranked 10th in the conference. Bryant also finished third in the CIAA in steals per contest at 2.6 for No. 1 Fayetteville State.

Anyssa Fields, Lincoln: Fields ranked in the top 10 this season in scoring (14.7), rebounding (7.9), 3-pointers made per contest (1.64) and free throw percentage (71%). The 6-0 sophomore forward matched up with teammate Kania Pollock (14 points per game) to lead Lincoln to the No. 2 seed. Fields on Monday was named the CIAA Women’s Defensive Player of the Year.

Taniyah Greene, St. Augustine’s: No qualified player was as efficient as Greene this season, as the sophomore forward posted a league-best 48.1% field goal percentage. The Riverdale Baptist product averaged 15.2 points and 6 rebounds per game to rank fourth and 12th, respectively.

Anii Harris, Bowie State: A sophomore guard, Harris led the Bulldogs to the No. 4 seed in the tournament. The Howard High graduate averaged 14.7 points for the sixth-best mark in the conference, scoring in double figures in 20 of her 25 games.

Shaniya Jones, Johnson C. Smith: No CIAA player averaged more points per game than Jones, who put up 16.4 a contest for the Golden Bulls. Jones, a redshirt senior guard, also led the conference in 3-pointers made with 53.

Ny Langley, Virginia Union: While Jones led in scoring average, Langley actually scored the most points in the conference with 435 (16.1 per game). The 5-10 junior forward also has the conference lead in total rebounds and is second in rebounding average at 9.3.

Amaya Tucker, Winston-Salem State: A graduate senior guard, Tucker is arguably the best 3-point shooter in the CIAA, ranking first in 3s per game at 2.05 and shooting 40.5% from deep. She also finished third in points per game (15.6) and fifth in assists (2.9) to lead Winston-Salem State to the No. 3 seed in the tournament. Tucker on Monday was named the CIAA Women’s Player of the Year.

Baltimore area products

Men’s tournament: Tyler Buckhanon, Bowie State (Baltimore); Anthony Carpenter, Bowie State (Reisterstown); Quinton Drayton, Bowie State (Bowie); Keith Duffin Jr., Bowie State (Fort Meade); Tyler Foster, Fayetteville State (Baltimore); Kyree Freeman-Davis, Bowie State (Bowie); Kaleb Glasper, St. Augustine’s (Baltimore); Michael Harrell, Virginia Union (Laurel); Caleb Johnson, Bowie State (Baltimore); Donovan Leak, Livingstone (Baltimore); Detwan Montague, Bowie State (Baltimore); Warren Mouganda, Bowie State (Bowie); Charles Neverdon, Lincoln (Catonsville); Christian Niles, Bowie State (Annapolis); Elijah Rantin, Bowie State (Baltimore); Erron Stout, Livingstone (Baltimore); Kyshon Tate, St. Augustine’s (Baltimore); Mahzi Thames, Virginia Union (Severn).

Women’s tournament: Kaziah Akinniyi, Bowie State (Baltimore); Shanysse Alexander, Bowie State (Middle River); Abigail Bailey, Bowie State (Laurel); Andria Gadson, Bowie State (Bowie); Anii Harris, Bowie State (Ellicott City); Ahmirie Hopson, St. Augustine’s (Timonium); Saniha Jackson, Bowie State (Ellicott City); Makenzie Pollard, Shaw (Baltimore); Beulah Odiong, Bowie State (Bowie); Jazmyne Scott, Bowie State (Brooklyn); Tsion Smith, Bowie State (Baltimore); Talia Trotter, Fayetteville State (Ellicott City); Khalia Turner, Bowie State (Baltimore); Kaitlyn Weaver-Adams, Bowie State (Baltimore).