BALTIMORE — Baltimore introduced Breasia Coit to the CIAA. Now, she’s one of the brightest stars in the HBCU league.
Before she became the Defensive Player of the Year at Livingstone College, before she dominated the glass in an HBCU tournament setting, Coit was a high school player sitting courtside when the CIAA Tournament came north.
“We ended up ballgirl-ing for the CIAA schools,” Coit told HBCU Gameday. “We were on the court pretty much. We got great seats to watch the games. And, you know, a couple schools caught my eye while I was down there and just hoping I could get there one day.”
One of those schools was Livingstone College, a small private HBCU in Salisbury, NC.
Southern Hospitality, Baltimore Toughness
Coit’s recruitment wasn’t complicated. The 6’2 center says Livingstone College reached out to her and she took a visit to Salisbury. What she found made the decision easy.
“I ended up touring the school. And I really liked the environment. It was very welcoming, comforting. You know, that southern hospitality is real,” she said.
“So from then on, I was just like, we went.”
Leaving Baltimore wasn’t small. But she didn’t go alone. She took a friend with her, and had her mother’s blessing.
“My mom, she’s big on like trying new things, you know, getting out there, going to explore,” Coit said.
“So she was all for it… It was just like, you know, go. Do you. Go be good. Go be great. Do your best. You know, you got it.”
Colt’s sophomore leap
That push helped turn a hometown kid into a rising force in the CIAA.
Her sophomore leap tells the story.
As a freshman, she averaged 3.8 points and 4.0 rebounds in limited minutes. This season, she’s exploded into a double-double machine:
- 13.3 points per game
- 12.1 rebounds per game
- 55 blocks
- 48.9 percent shooting from the field
Coit posted 21 rebounds against Winston-Salem State. She’s scored 33 points against Barton. She’s played 40 minutes in a season-defining win.
“I’m Going to Do Something Bigger”
Coit didn’t stumble into Defensive Player of the Year. She manifested it.
“Did I know? No. Not really,” she said when asked if she expected the award. “I’ve had people in my ear saying, yeah, you’re going to get it. I’m like, you don’t try to stay humble. Stay down. I’m like, no, maybe no… if I do, that would be lovely. But I don’t know. I’m not sure.”
But internally, she had set a tone.
“I came into this season with the mindset of I’m going to do something bigger,” she said.. “You know, I’m really going to make my presence known in the CIAA this year.”
Mission accomplished.
She’s averaging over 13 points and 12 rebounds per game. She’s recorded 55 blocks. She posted 21 rebounds and six blocks against nationally ranked Winston-Salem State in the regular season finale — one day before being honored on stage.
“Being able to get on that stage and then receive the award as well… it felt good. It felt great,” she said. “My actions were seen by somebody and it made a difference.”
Playing at Home, With Family Watching
Now the CIAA is back in Baltimore. And so is she.
“My mom, my dad, my grandma, my little brother, they were all here,” she said.
“You know, they’re key in my heart. So them being able to be here was actually very big for me.”
Instead of watching on a stream, her family is in the building.
Livingstone looking to play Cinderella
Livingstone arrived in Baltimore as the fourth seed in the CIAA South, taking on Elizabeth City State. ECSU led by as many as 16 points in the first half, but LC clawed back and won 59-46. Coit contributed nine points and 12 rebounds to go with one block, making a big impact in the fourth quarter.
“Breasia’s Breasia,” LC head coach Queen Smith said after Livingstone’s CIAA Tournament opening-round win. “She’s going to be on the boards. She’s going to give us everything she has. Her presence inside — whether it’s on the offensive end or defensive end — it makes an impact and a difference.”
“Honestly in my opinion, you know every game is not going to be your game. And that’s how I felt today,” she said.
“You know my game wasn’t really my game today. So my teammates they definitely did come through.”
But leaders don’t disappear. They adjust.
“Once, you know, we were all in the groove, I kind of got back into it as well,” she said. “And that all came together and led to our win.”
That maturity — knowing when to let the game come to you — is part of her growth.
Playing the local HBCU
Next up is No. 1 CIAA North seed Bowie State — the closest CIAA HBCU program to her Baltimore roots.
Asked whether Bowie recruited her, Coit kept it simple.No.
Now she returns to her home city as an HBCU Defensive Player of the Year, wearing Livingstone across her chest.
She once watched the CIAA from courtside in Baltimore, hoping to get there one day.
Now she’s on center stage. And she’s not done yet.