By Christina Easter
After sharing coaching responsibilities for the Women’s Basketball Team during the middle of last season, Dione Griffin returns to the familiar position of head coach. Griffin is joined by assistant coaches Jasmine Frierson whom he won 2023-2024 co-coach of the year after leading the team to a 1st place finish with a record of 9-2 in the Ohio Community College Athletic Conference and 18-10 overall. His spouse, Valencia Griffin, also joined the coaching staff as a full-time assistant.
Together Dion, Frierson, and Valencia combined their talents and experiences to ensure players are successful on the court, off the court, and after college.
“Our expectation for the season is to get better individually and as a team,” Dione said. “I work with players who want to improve in any area. We help improve players’ confidence and get them ready to compete, so we produce a quality game.”
“Our goal is to get players ready who want to play at a four-year college.”
Coach Frierson is the lead assistant and is the second set of ears and eyes for Coach Dion. She is also responsible for ensuring players are “on point academically” and runs a study table to ensure players are in compliance with the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) rules.
Coach Valencia uses her playing experience to assist the players at the four and five positions. She also meets with players and devises a plan for each. Coach Valencia played high school basketball and was a walk-on at Michigan Tech University.
“I bring knowledge of the post position because I know I know as a bigger player, you have to bring a lot of aggression, confidence, and determination to each game,” Valencia said. “My goal is to see the young ladies grow, get their degree, and be successful in whatever they decide to do with their life after college.”
Dion placed a high priority on recruiting after losing five players to graduation which left the team with two sophomores and 10 freshmen. Some of the new players recruited to join the Triceratops this season includes Aavie Johnson, a tenacious point guard from Akron who has “a bit of an attitude” that mirrors what Dione was looking for.
Halsey Wagner, a guard from Delaware, Ohio was recruited for her ability to consistently get up and down the court really fast and her academics.
Jaylenna Bauzo played point guard for John Marshall high school and is a “gym rat” who is always working at getting better. “She is a student of the game and every challenge I put on her, she met,” Dione said. “Also, when I spoke with her high school coaches, they mentioned some of the things I saw in her when I watched her play.”
Lanysha Prewitt is also from Akron and has a five-year old son. “She wanted to go back to school to give her son a better life and knew basketball would motivate her,” Dione said.
Alaya Harris is a power forward from Lutheran East high school who has size and knows how to use her physicality. “We figured if we got her in the gym and weight room, we could get her to where we wanted her to be and to date she has not disappointed,” Dione said.
Tatianna Williams is a forward from Garrett Morgan who is a “flat out” hard player, which the coaches liked by itself. The team finished in 5th place with a record of 5-9 in the Ohio Community College Athletic Conference and 10-16 Overall.
“We’re working on our focus because the season is long,” Dione said. “We’re looking to improve daily by doing skill and working on player development. In shooting, we want to become better, so we have been working on this fundamental as well.”
Early in the season, the team won five in a row after opening with four straight losses. The team won three of its last five games to finish in 5th place with a record of 5-9 in the Conference and 10-16 overall.
Dione previously served as head coach of the Akron Aviators, a semi-professional basketball team in the Amateur Basketball Association. Dione and Valencia met in college and have been coaching together for more than 10 years.
For more information on coach Dione and the Women’s Basketball Team visit the Triceratops home page at https://athletics.tri-c.edu/sports/wbkb/2024-25/schedule.
