September 16, 2025ย
HBCU notebook: Johnetta Hayes excited to lead Alabama State’s new era and add to its rich history
By Rob Knox
Hayes: 'The biggest thing that keeps me going every day is being able to affect change in our student athletes' lives'
Accepted into three different medical schools, Johnetta Hayes imagined her path unfolding in hospital corridors and research labs. However, a workout with former NBA guard John Lucas changed everything. After the session, Lucas recognized Hayes’ gift of teaching and arranged a meeting that same day with Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, who had just taken over as head coach at Prairie View A&M.
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Cooper-Dyke saw Hayes’ potential not only on the floor but in her ability to connect, organize and lead. She offered Hayes a chance at Prairie View A&M, encouraging her to consider pursuing a master’s degree along the way. That opportunity became the start of a memorable career.
After two years at Prairie View A&M, Hayes moved on to work with Andre Payne, who later became athletic director at Talladega. By her mid-20s, she was entrusted with her own program at Wiley College. What began as a detour from medicine became a calling, a coaching journey marked by faith, mentorship, and doors opening at just the right time.
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Her path eventually led her across the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) and beyond. Hayes served as a graduate assistant at Prairie View. Later, she led Texas Southern to two regular-season championships and four postseason appearances, including a trip to the NCAA tournament.
Hayes guided UMBC to an 11-win improvement, one of the best in the nation, during the 2022-23 season. Hayes also led the team to a 10-6 mark in America East play, their second-best record in program history. She led the Retrievers for four seasons before spending last year as an assistant coach at Rutgers. Along the way, she accumulated 197 career coaching victories.
Hayes is a winner.
Before her time in Baltimore and Texas Southern, she spent two years as an assistant on coach Cooper-Dyke’s staff at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington. It was successful as the Seahawks enjoyed consecutive 20-win seasons and WNIT appearances.
Now in her first season at Alabama State, Hayes is embracing the responsibility of succeeding longtime coach Freda Freeman-Jackson, who retired in March after guiding the Hornets for 27 years. Hayes, hired in March, described the frenetic transition as special.
“It’s incredible to have the opportunity to work with the young ladies who are already there and the administration that’s in place,” Hayes said. โDr. (Quinton T.) Ross is amazing as a president, and Dr. (Jason) Cable is an amazing athletic director. I wanted to ensure that the leadership was aligned with my vision, and I’m aligned with their vision. It’s pretty remarkable when you know everyone’s kind of on the same page.”
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Moving from Rutgers to Alabama State was a whirlwind for Hayes.
The biggest challenges Hayes immediately encountered were moving to Montgomery, recruiting players and showcasing an empty campus. Her first week at Alabama State coincided with the final week of the school year. With most of the urban campus featuring Georgian-style red-brick classroom buildings and architecturally contemporary structures deserted, Hayes had to get creative in showcasing the program.
Fortunately, she had assistance from her administration and Alabama State assistant coach Bianca Jackson, who played at Florida State and the University of South Carolina. Jackson handled much of the day-to-day logistics while Hayes got settled.
“I’m thankful for my leadership and president who stepped in,” Hayes said. “They helped with recruiting. They were available, which is amazing. My recruits didn’t get a chance to see other players. We’re seeing this empty campus. They shared that they hear your vision, even though you’ve just arrived. It was funny because we were seeing a locker room together for the first time. It’s pretty much, we were taking campus tours together for the first time.”
That mission resonates deeply in Montgomery, a city where Rosa Parks’ quiet act of courage sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped ignite the Civil Rights Movement. Hayes, who has always been drawn to history, knows the footsteps she walks in. Founded in 1867 by nine formerly enslaved people, Alabama State’s slogan is “Where History Is Made.”
She is coaching in a city where the past is never far away, and she hopes to leave her own mark in the SWAC tradition of coaches and players whose influence extends into classrooms, communities, and history books.
The enthusiastic, energetic and charismatic Hayes believes she has the players in place to ascend into the SWAC’s upper echelon quickly. The Hornets have won a combined nine games over the last two years. With seven returners and 10 newcomers, Alabama State is looking forward to competing and making sure this year is different.
Among some of the key returners are Kaitlyn Bryant, who averaged 8.2 points per game last season and led Alabama State with 25 3-pointers, and senior guard Amari Franklin, who led the Hornets with 38 steals. Both players were the only ones to play in all 30 games last season. Alanah Pooler averaged 19.4 minutes in 28 games. The experience and leadership of those three players have made a difference.
Another reason Hayes is confident Alabama State will enjoy a strong season is that she has implemented seven standards into her program. The Hornet Seven includes love, leadership, communication, competitiveness, service, trustworthiness, and discipline.
“I talked directly to the team about the standard being the standard and the bar has been set,” Hayes said. “If we can accomplish those seven things, then we will put ourselves in a great position to have success and be playing later in March for hopefully a SWAC championship. Those core values mean a lot on and off the court.”
The Hornets have already made a community impact through volunteering at the YMCA Head Start, putting smiles on the faces of wide-eyed youngsters excited to have college student-athletes pouring into and playing with them. Seeing college athletes crouch down to the level of the excited kids, many of whom are much smaller than the players, makes their day. The players enjoy themselves by creating lasting memories for the youngsters.
On campus, the Hornets have partnered with the Women’s Center and served meals in the cafeteria, not just as athletes but as role models and neighbors, reminding everyone that their time and presence make a significant difference. The Hornets understand and embrace that basketball is bigger than wins and losses. Hayes has helped them understand the privilege they enjoy of inspiring the next generation and learning that their black-and-gold jerseys represent more than just themselves.
“The one thing about this team, as we recruited them and we talked, they’re not just student-athletes,” Hayes said proudly. “They’re ambassadors of the university. Every day, my goal is to produce something that we can use and that the university and this Montgomery community will be proud of. Making change every day and making history before we even bounce the ball or score a point, they have already impacted the history and the community of Montgomery and the state of Alabama.”
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Her gratitude for those who guided her along the way grounds her coaching style.
“One of the things that has kept me grounded in this business, especially when I was younger, was the people that surrounded me,” Hayes said. “Your village is really important. I had a Cynthia Cooper. I mean, who gets to work for Hall of Famers and learn the way I did, and have somebody take the time to pour into you? Then I get an Andre Payne. I think the coaches that are in my circle have always poured into me, which has allowed me to pour into other people.”
In many ways, Hayes still became what she once set out to be: a healer. Instead of working in labs or hospitals, she has poured into young women, treating their confidence, discipline, and dreams with the same care she once imagined giving patients. For Hayes, the scoreboard matters, but history, community, and family matter more for the Houston native and mother of two daughters, Khloe and Zoie.
“The biggest thing that keeps me going every day is being able to affect change in our student athletes’ lives,” said Hayes, who earned her undergraduate degree from Rice and master’s degree from Prairie View A&M. “Being able to be a part of their walk in some capacity, whether it’s winning a championship or seeing them grow as young women. I don’t care how tough I am on them; when we leave the room, it’s always ‘I love you.’ ‘Thank you.’ Just the respect that we have for each other, and with just having a new team, it’s been amazing.
“The players, of course, make you want to come back every day and do it again. Even when they run you crazy, they still make you want to come back because you’re trying to find something good all the time that you can pull from and give to them. I’m about longevity and not just in the moment. That makes the biggest difference.”
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Alabama A&M hosts SEC program
Second-year Alabama A&M head coach Dawn Thornton has secured another home game against an SEC opponent. The Bulldogs will host Ole Miss on Nov. 7 after hosting the Alabama Crimson Tide last season.
It’s always a significant opportunity for an HBCU to host a Power Four opponent. For Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin, this will be the third straight season she will play a true road game at an HBCU. Ole Miss is also scheduled to visit Norfolk State next season.
For the Bulldogs, Ole Miss is one of two programs they will play that participated in last season’s NCAA tournament. Alabama A&M visits Richmond on Dec. 20 in its final non-conference contest.
The Bulldogs won an NCAA Division I program-best 21 games and finished tied for second in the SWAC with a 14-4 record. AAMU competed in the WNIT for the first time in program history.
“Our 2025โ26 women’s basketball schedule was built to test us early and prepare us for the battles of SWAC play,” Thornton said in a press release on the Bulldog athletics website. “The preseason gives us a chance to grow against tough competition and figure out who we are before conference starts. Those games matter because they get us ready for the intensity that comes with SWAC basketball.
So far, based on the schedules released, AAMU is the third program to host a Power Four opponent. North Carolina A&T is hosting North Carolina for a second straight season on Nov. 20, and Coppin State is hosting South Carolina on Jan. 18.
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Grambling State gets creative
The Grambling State program had one of the more creative and funnier schedule releases on social media. The players displayed their artistic skills as members of the program drew the logo of their non-conference opponents. Many of them came close to the original mark.
Third-year head coach Courtney Simmons credited newly hired Graduate Assistant/Video Coordinator Kahia Warmsley, who starred for the Tigers for the last two years. After leading the Tigers in scoring last season with a 13.4 points per game average, Warmlsey earned Second Team All-SWAC honors.
Now, she’s making an impact in her role at Grambling State, helping the program increase its digital presence and providing it with heightened visibility. Under Simmons, the Tigers have won 36 games in the last two years.
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Mark your calendars
The 2026 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) schedule has been released. Circle Jan. 31 and March 5 on your calendars. It’s when Howard and Norfolk State resume their rivalry. The first game is at Burr Gymnasium in Washington, and the season finale is in Norfolk, where the conference tournament will also be held. Norfolk State has beaten Howard in the last three MEAC tournament championships.
SWAC Media Day information
The SWAC’s annual media days will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 7, at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Birmingham, Alabama,ย beginning at 10 a.m. Central Time.
Written by Rob Knox
Rob Knox is an award-winning professional and a member of the Lincoln (Pa.) Athletics Hall of Fame. In addition to having work published in SLAM magazine, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Washington Post, and Diverse Issues In Higher Education, Knox enjoyed a distinguished career as an athletics communicator for Lincoln, Kutztown, Coppin State, Towson, and UNC Greensboro. He also worked at ESPN and for the Delaware County Daily Times. Recently, Knox was honored by CSC with the Mary Jo Haverbeck Trailblazer Award and the NCAA with its Champion of Diversity award. Named a HBCU Legend by SI.com, Knox is a graduate of Lincoln University and a past president of the College Sports Communicators, formerly CoSIDA.
