Over the past few years, the girls basketball programs at Sidwell Friends, St. John’s, Bishop McNamara and Paul VI have established themselves locally and among the best in the country.
But there is a new player in the mix that is making waves: Archbishop Carroll, located in Northeast, D.C., is 9-1 (as of press time) and garnering attention. The Carroll Lions’ first loss came against Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) rival and nationally ranked Bishop McNamara in the championship of the Boo Williams tournament in Hampton, Virginia.
The Lions play in arguably the top girls basketball conference in the country in the WCAC. Under head coach Edythe White and assistant coach Mark Tillmon, the program began its rise four years ago.
With Adelekan and former standout Ayva Tillmon as the centerpiece, it all began to come together last season when Carroll won its first ever DCSAA, Division A championship. It was the culmination of an improvement from the 2021-22 season when they finished 13-12 to last year’s 21-12 mark.
“No question, it was an exciting time for the program,” said White, a former standout at St. John’s University and an alum of Carroll. “But we did not want it to stop there. We adopted the slogan, “Unfinished Business” because we wanted to build on that success.”
Ayva Tillmon, daughter of the assistant coach, has moved on to the college ranks at Allen University, so Adelekan has become the team leader with her rebounding and scoring around the basket on the floor and her off-the-court leadership. She is supported by a core of talented returning juniors Shekira Pearson, Aliyah Duncan and Heidi Williams, who may be the most improved player on the team. The 6-0, and still growing forward, has become a weapon with her three-point shooting range and ability to get out in transition.
Adelanke has been there since the beginning and offers her perspective.
“When I got here as a freshman, nobody talked about Carroll as having a serious girls basketball program,” recalls the senior forward, who boasts a 4.4 GPA and plans on doing a double major of business and kinesiology. “We were just another team on everyone’s schedule. That’s when we decided to change that.”
Part of that dramatic change has been the addition of the two talented freshmen, Asya Gilbeaux and Nyair McCoy.
“In the past, we have had teams that were mostly made up of seniors. But that has changed. We still have only three seniors, including myself but we now have some experienced and improved juniors and two talented freshmen, who have the ability to take the program to the next level.”
For those who want to witness the skills of Gilbeaux, you can come to a Carroll game and leave with an impression.
Gilbeaux comes off the bench and is a fine outside shooter. Then there is McCoy, he diminutive 5-0, 15-year-old has some eye-catching physical skills to go along with a high basketball IQ. She is a true point guard with the ability to find teammates with her deft passing. In a recent game, McCoy caused havoc all game on both ends of the floor, featuring a slew of crisp passes to teammates running the floor and finishing with layups, a Euro step basket that left defender standing, a couple of three pointers and some annoying defense on the opponents’ back court that forced turnovers.
McCoy was recruited by a number of local programs interested in a player with her skill set. But her decision to attend Carroll was a result of White and Tillmon’s persistence.
“We started recruiting her in the seventh grade,” said White. “What you see now is what we saw back then. She has special skills and is a difference maker.”
Adelekan said: “It is so much fun playing with her,” talking about McCoy. “If you are open, she is going to find you. If you run the floor, she is going to reward you. She wants to win and is going to be a force to be reckoned with.”
McCoy talks very little and lets her game speak volumes for her. She offers her thoughts on the transition and the team’s potential for success.
“There have been some adjustments that I had to make quickly,” admitted McCoy. “Coming in from middle school and the AAU circuit, I had to learn to play with post players. Taio (Adelekan) has been good in helping me in that area. Also, I had to learn to slow it down instead of always going at a fast pace. It caused me to miss some easy layups and turn the ball over early, but I feel that I am improving all around.”
The meat of the schedule is upcoming with the likes of WCAC perennial powers St. John’s (Jan. 4) and Paul VI (Jan. 9).
“We have made some significant strides since I arrived here,” said Tillmon, a former standout at both Gonzaga College High School and later at Georgetown University. “We are in a very competitive area for girls’ high school basketball. We don’t always recruit that four-star or five-star player. We go after that player who wants to get a quality education and who is willing to put the work in to improve.”
Tillmon, in his third season at Carroll, added that it is a plus to play in the WCAC because of the quality of players, the competition and the recruiters who go to the conference looking for talent.
I would like to say it is truly refreshing to see that the Washington Informer is covering interesting sports stories of our youth in the city. We rarely read positive stories about our young people as our news is filled with negativity. Please continue to expose stories of this nature with the quality and experienced writing as Mr. Hill has done with this story.
Thanks
The Archbishop Girls Basketball team is phenomenal and should not be underestimated. The three freshmen on the team bring their A-game, and all of them have a bright future ahead.
Great article for the women’s basketball program. It has been a very long bumpy road. Now the women’s program seems to be receiving equal support. So also, my congratulations to the administration for spreading equity and awareness of the female student-athletes significants the community of the mighty Lions.