When you look into the annals of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), you will discover that Howard University women's basketball has been one of the most successful programs over the past 40 years.
 
Simply put, it has set a standard.
 
The run of success started in 1982 when Howard, then under the leadership of legendary coach Sanya Tyler, represented the conference in its first NCAA Tournament appearance in Long Beach, Calif.
 
Over the next four decades, the program has consistently been one of the most successful in th conference’s illustrious history.
 
During that period, Howard has won nine MEAC regular-season titles and 11 tournament titles – including both during the 2021-22 season (one of the reasons the Bison were named preseason favorites to do it all again in 2022-23).
 
Along the way, several players have made an indelible mark. There have been multiple Players of the Year and Rookies of the Year. A number of those players hold conference records, including the all-time leading scorer in MEAC history in Saadia Doyle (a 2022 MEAC Hall of Fame inductee, by the way), while 25 players are member of the 1,000-point club, including Doyle and Alisha Hill, whose numbers are in the 2000-point stratosphere.
 
We could go on and on, but let's take a look at how it started and how it has reached this point.
 
"Even when we started out in 1980, we had at least one great player and some good role players," Tyler, the winningest coach in school history, said. "After we went to the NCAA Tournament in 1982, we decided to recruit players who could make a difference. We became our own entity. The quality of the talent changed and then we started to look like a team. Our size and talent enabled us to compete. The next step was to schedule road games against some of the top teams in the country. Then, once we got the Nike deal, it gave us a different look."
 
It paid off for Tyler and the Bison, as they went after some of the top recruits in the country. When Tyler signed Karen Wilkins, a 6-1 Parade All American out of then -high school power H.D Woodson in Washington, D.C.. She would later land Denique Graves, a 6-5 center who was the Philadelphia Player of the Year her senior year and would ultimately be drafted by the WNBA.
 
Because of Howard's academic reputation, Tyler decided to implement a program to ensure that she maintained academic stability. She proudly points to three things that made a difference: implementing a sports psychologist for the team; hiring a math tutor with a 4.0 to travel with the team; and laptops on the road.
 
With the infrastructure in place, the program began to benefit. It resulted in a period when the Bison would win four straight and later three straight regular-season titles. It must be noted that there were years when the conference did not have the NCAA automatic bid.
 
The tournament appearances paid dividends, as Howard posted wins over Power 5 opponents: the University of Maryland; North Carolina State University; the University of Minnesota and Rutgers University.
 
Three of the teams were coached by Hall of Famers: the late Kay Yow (N.C. State); Chris Weller (Maryland) and Dr. C. Vivian Stringer (Rutgers).
 
Years after establishing that foundation, Tyler finally stepped down with the legacy intact. Since, Howard has remained a force in the MEAC. Cathy Parson, who succeeded Tyler, captured the tournament and an NCAA bid in her first season.
 
The came Nikki Reid Geckler, who led the Bison to three straight MEAC Tournament finals.
And current head coach Ty Grace led the Bison to two straight tournament finals, winning last year and not only taking the 2021-22 team to the NCAA Tournament, but winning a first-round game against Incarnate Word and advancing to the second round.
 
"There is no question that the program is widely respected in women's basketball," Grace said. “Before accepting the job at Howard, I was familiar with Coach Tyler and the coaches who came after her. There is a legacy here and when you talk to the alums who played here, you realize that the expectations for success are there."
 
Jeff Williams, a Howard alum who played on the men's basketball team and served under Tyler, says that there is no magic to the success or why the success continues: "Coach Tyler is one of the best coaches that I have served under during my career. Her track record speaks for itself. Some of the things that she did enabled us to recruit nationally. We could sell recruits on not only having the chance a high level of basketball, but also an education that allows you as a Black woman to write your own ticket."
 
Willliams has served a head coach at La Salle University and had successful stops at Pittsburgh and Georgia Tech before accepting his current position as assistant at East Carolina.
 
The following are some of the past and present players on what makes Howard University women's basketball so special and their experience at Howard:
 
Robin Duncan Chishom - first 1,000-point scorer and all-conference player in Howard history:
"I got a number of offers, but I wanted to stay close to home. Howard came after me and once I got to campus on my visit, there was something that resonated with me. It felt like home away from home and it was a chance of being a part of something special for the future.”
 
Andrea Gardner Williams - led the nation in rebounding; 27^th pick of the 2022 WNBA draft by the Utah Starzz:
"I like to think that Howard chose me. Due to me being a Prop 48 student-athlete, a lot of major schools backed away. But Howard always welcomed me home. I am so thankful for that opportunity because it was where I needed to be."
 
Tamoria "Tee" Holmes - 1,000-point scorer and current assistant coach & recruiting coordinator at East Carolina University:
"When I first committed to Howard, I honestly did not know a lot about the program. Then, Coach Geckler had the alums came in and talk to us. They talked about the championships and some of their accomplishments and it gave me a different perspective. I, along with the other freshmen, felt that we had something to hold up, the tradition.”
 
Darlene Beale Norris – all-time leading rebounder in MEAC history and inductee into the MEAC and Howard Athletics Halls of Fame:
"I was originally set to go to N.C. State, but my mother met Coach Tyler during a visit and convinced me to come to Howard. I decommitted from N.C. State. There was a legacy at Howard that was passed down.  The atmosphere there of family created a culture of oneness.”
 
Yolanda "Yogi" Lockamy – all-time assists leader in MEAC and Howard history:
"I came to Howard as a freshman and coming from a small town (Zebulon, N.C.), I was overwhelmed at first. But the culture there and family atmosphere created by Coach Tyler made me feel comfortable.  There were expectations of success on the court but also in the classroom and preparation for life.”
 
Ty Grace – current Howard women’s basketball head coach:
"I was familiar with Howard history before I came here. I knew of Coach Tyler, Coach Cathy Parson and Coach Geckler. So, I knew about their success. The lineage of winning is part of the culture. When we met with the alums during Homecoming and listened to them talk, you felt an obligation to carry on the legacy that has been created.”
 
Cheyenne Curley Payne – 2013 graduate and current assistant coach at Temple University:
"Quite frankly, I did not know a lot about the Howard program when Coach G (Coach Geckler) recruited me. But once I got here, I heard all the stories about the program and what it had accomplished. I distinctly remember a group for former players coming in and talking to us during our freshman season and you could feel the sense of pride that they had for the program and the excitement that they showed for us when they came to see us play."
 
Saadia Doyle – all-time leading scorer in MEAC history and MEAC and Howard Hall of Famer:
"Before I came to Howard, all of the hype was over Homecoming and the sororities and fraternities. But I had an awakening when there was a Meet-and-Greet in Burr Gymnasium and I got the chance to put the faces with the names on the jerseys in the rafters. I listened as they talked about what they were doing in their professional careers. Here was a group of Black women who had been a part of the basketball success and now they are successful in their professional careers as teachers, coaches, engineers, entrepreneurs and parents. When we went back as a team, we talked about what we needed to do to continue this legacy."
 
The following are some of the outstanding individual/team accomplishments of the program during the past 40 years: