Tierra Terry came back to WSSU and delivered one of the most memorable seasons in recent HBCU women’s basketball history. As well as the best turnaround in Division II and
The Winston-Salem State head coach has been named the “Head of the Class” for the 2026 Achieving Coaching Excellence Women’s Basketball Coaching Honor Roll. She got the Lady Rams to a 28-4 record, a 21-win improvement, the CIAA Tournament championship, and the program’s first NCAA Division II Sweet 16 appearance. WSSU also finished the season ranked No. 13 nationally and third in the Atlantic Region.
For Terry, the honor adds another milestone to a season that changed the trajectory of the program.
Her debut season already brought CIAA Coach of the Year honors and a contract extension from WSSU. Now it has also brought national recognition from an organization that highlights coaches for both performance and leadership.
A full-circle moment for Tierra Terry at WSSU
Terry’s rise at WSSU has made this more than just another coaching award.
She returned to her alma mater for the 2025-26 season after five years at Virginia Union, where she posted a 60-51 record. Before that, she began her coaching career at WSSU and later worked at Western Carolina and William & Mary. A former four-year member of the Rams women’s basketball program, Terry earned her bachelor’s degree from Winston-Salem State in 2008.
That background made this season feel personal for Terry, WSSU, and the broader HBCU basketball community.
Achieving Coaching Excellence CEO Kennedy D. Wells praised both the season and the meaning behind Terry’s return.
“What a historic season for Winston Salem State women’s basketball orchestrated by Coach Terry!” Wells said in the release. “The pride demonstrated by Tierra in her return to the ‘RAMILY’ is truly a story worthy of a movie.” He added that Terry is “a testament to the HBCU and CIAA experience” and said the Lady Rams’ transformation showed “what Coach Terry’s emphasis on discipline, dedication, and defense can do.”
That praise matched what many around the CIAA saw throughout the season.
Terry took over a program looking for momentum and quickly turned it into a championship team. In the process, she put WSSU into the national conversation and gave the school its strongest women’s basketball seasons ever.
A class filled with notable coaches — HBCU and beyond
Terry was not the only big name included in the 2026 women’s honor roll.
The rest of the class included: Dawn Staley of South Carolina, Kara Lawson of Duke, Amaka Agugua-Hamilton of Virginia, Niele Ivey of Notre Dame, Vanessa Blair-Lewis of George Mason, Felisha Legette-Jack of Syracuse, Ty Grace of Howard, Carlos Funchess of Southern, Pete Asmond of Miles College, Dawn Thornton of Alabama A&M, and Special Jennings of Jacksonville.
That list gives Terry’s recognition even more weight.
She was honored alongside some of the most respected coaches in college basketball. But this year the top spot belonged to an HBCU alum who returned home and changed the story at WSSU. For Tierra Terry, it was a full-circle season. For WSSU, it was the kind of year that can reshape expectations for years to come.