(Photo credit: Sierra Watson/WCSN)
TEMPE — Saturday’s Arizona State women’s basketball game didn’t go as the Sun Devils expected; they lost to one of the few teams that, at the time, sat below them in the Big 12 Conference standings.
Still, despite the 77-67 loss, ASU gave Saturday’s game a greater sense of purpose. In commemoration of the start of February, the Sun Devils hosted their annual Black History Month game. The festivities included special uniforms, PA announcements honoring the team’s Black coaches and appearances by Black student and faculty leaders on ASU’s campus.
“It’s always an honor to have this game,” ASU head coach Natasha Adair said. “Anytime that we can come together and celebrate Black History Month, or whatever the month is, or whatever the cause is, I think that is important to do.”
Saturday night’s game had the highest attendance of any Sun Devil home game this season, beating the previous season-high of 1,738 by 852. The 2,590 fans in attendance were engaged from start to finish, cheering when the Sun Devils went on runs and booing referees when they chose not to call a foul on a Jazion Jackson fast break late in the fourth quarter.
To make the night special, people from outside the athletic department joined in on the celebration. ASU Deputy Vice President of Student Services Dr. Cassandra Aska served as an honorary coach, standing alongside ASU assistant coach Yvonne Sanchez as they surveyed player warmups.
ASU student Chyna Williams, who is a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Incorporated — one of nine historically Black Greek letter organizations known as the Divine 9 — sang Lift Every Voice and Sing, the “Black National Anthem” before tipoff.
The Black African Coalition, a member organization of the Council of Coalitions dedicated to ensuring ASU “is a welcoming, inclusive and supportive community that respects and honors all cultures and identities,” included the game in its itinerary for its Sankofa Summit. The event hosted at Carson Student-Athlete Center was designed to help students network and build academic and professional connections. At the game, members of the BAC’s executive board honored a local family for their work and legacy in the Black community.
The Black History Month celebration holds special significance in the ASU locker room where 11 of the team’s 16 players and five of the team’s six coaches are Black. Even for those on the team who’ve played for Black coaches, the team’s predominantly Black makeup is a rarity compared to the rest of the NCAA women’s basketball world.
For graduate center Nevaeh Parkinson, who started her college career at New Mexico and spent the last two years at UC Irvine before transferring to ASU, this is the first time she’s played for a Black head coach in college.
The quality of the relationship she’s built with Adair in just her first year as a Sun Devil is evident in the way Parkinson talks about how Adair motivates her to be her best on the floor. Saturday, Adair’s advice helped Parkinson get out of an offensive slump and finish with a team-high 17 points.
“I think I came out a little flat, and then [Adair] just told me that they were walling up with me, so I had to be patient,” Parkinson said. “Once she told me that I had to be patient, I just took her advice and started to be patient. Once you’re patient, you see a lot of things opening.”
While Adair and her coaching staff empower Parkinson on the floor, the roster’s diverse construction has also created a safe place for Parkinson that’s unlike any team environment she’s been a part of.
“I’m comfortable,” Parkinson said. “I can open up and I can be who I am without kind of the backlash and all of this stuff … and then also just being able to see all these amazing Black people that are on my staff and on the team that are able to show black excellence and show that we’re thriving and we’re here, and we deserve to be here.”
Adair is aware of what her position as a Black woman coaching NCAA basketball means to the general public. She tries to instill the idea in her team that they play for a greater purpose than just wins and losses.
So even with the loss to BYU on Saturday, Adair recognized the importance of her team, her coaching staff and the Black History Month celebration and how it could impact people who come to watch them.
“We have so many fans and supporters, and that’s the other thing that we talk to our players about,” Adair said. “This is an opportunity for us to give back. What legacy Are we leaving? It’s not just about us. It’s not just about Arizona State Women’s Basketball. It’s for other people. And so we don’t take this opportunity lightly.”
