Olivia Gaines was officially named Head Women’s Basketball Coach at North Carolina Central on Friday, May 8.
This is the first head coaching position on the Division I level for Gaines, a rising coach in the profession. Gaines has gained a reputation for building winning programs and developing student-athletes.
“We are thrilled to welcome Coach Gaines to the Eagle family,” said NCCU Director of Athletics Dr. Louis “Skip” Perkins. “She is a proven winner at every level and has shown the ability to develop and nurture student-athletes while building successful teams. We believe Coach Gaines is the right person to elevate the program.”
Gaines previously coached at Allen the past two seasons. She turned the women’s basketball program into a contender after Allen’s recent transition to the Division II level.
During her two-year tenure as head coach, Allen posted a 36-19 overall record, including a 29-14 conference mark, in the SIAC from 2024 to 2026. In her first season, Gaines led Allen to program records in the Division II era for single-season wins (18) and conference victories (13). This year, Allen tied last season’s win total while setting a new league mark with 16 victories.
Under Gaines’ leadership, Tailah Wesley was named SIAC Player of the Year and Eboni Clay was chosen SIAC Freshman of the Year in the 2024-25 season. It is the first time an Allen player won either award in program history.
Before coming to Allen, Gaines was an assistant coach on the Division I level for one season (2023-24) at Georgia Southern.
Prior to her time at Georgia Southern, Gaines gained a winning reputation in the junior college ranks. In the 2022-23 season, she guided Richard Bland to a 29-3 record and a trip to the NJCAA national championship game, finishing runner-up in its first-ever season.
Her first collegiate head coaching position was at USC Salkehatchie from 2020 to 2022. Gaines led the Indians to a 20-2 mark and the NJCAA Region 10 Championship in her first season (2020-21). She was named Region 10 Coach of the Year for her efforts.
Gaines became head coach at USC Salkehatchie after stints as an assistant coach at Vassar and Northwestern Oklahoma State. She was a high school head coach at Andrew Jackson, Fort Dorchester and Cross in South Carolina.
Before embarking on a coaching career, Gaines tasted success as a collegiate basketball player, most notably at South Carolina under Head Coach Dawn Staley. During Gaines’ two seasons, South Carolina won the SEC Tournament, shared the regular-season title and reached the Final Four in 2015 while claiming the SEC regular-season crown in 2014.
Gaines was a sought-after recruit after two stellar seasons at Louisburg (N.C.). She was named WBCA National Junior College Player of the Year and led Louisburg to the NJCAA Division II national title in 2013. Two years before, she was an All-State high school player as a senior at Chester.
A standout point guard and defensive specialist, Gaines was a winner on the collegiate and high school levels. Her Chester High School teams lost only 12 games in four years and Louisburg lost twice over a two-year period.
During her two seasons at South Carolina, Gaines helped architect a budding dynasty. She played on the team that reached the first of many Final Four appearances for the Gamecocks.
A native of Chester, S.C., Gaines earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from South Carolina in 2015 and an associate degree in sociology from Louisburg in 2013.
