TU’s Jeter named CAA Preseason Player of the Year

Senior is the first player in program history to earn honor

By Kyle Hobstetter on November 22, 2020

Kionna Jeter in SECU Arena
Kionna Jeter was named 2020 CAA Preseason Player of the Year, the first Tiger to earn that honor in program history. (Photo by Lauren Castellana) 

It’s been a historic college career for Towson Tigers women basketball guard Kionna Jeter, and she’s off to a strong start for her senior year.

Jeter was named the 2020 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Preseason Player of the Year. The senior guard is the first player to receive the honor in TU program history, and is coming off two straight years as an All-CAA First Team honoree. This is also her second career CAA Preseason All-Conference First Team honor.

If you asked Jeter four years ago if she ever saw herself getting to this point, she might have given you a different answer.

The Spartanburg, South Carolina native started her career at Gulf Coast State College, a junior college located in Panama, City, Fla. One day, during her one season at Gulf Coast, Jeter was helping her sister pick up her little brother.

While waiting, she was struck in the back by two stray bullets from a drive-by shooting. One bullet narrowly missed her heart and the other broke her right shoulder blade.

The injuries, and stigma around the cause of the injuries, caused several schools to pull their scholarship offers. One school kept tabs on Jeter.

“When I got hurt, everything dropped from there,” Jeter says. “But when Towson called, it was my last opportunity to be where I wanted to be in life.”

In the summer of 2018, TU head women’s basketball coach Diane Richardson watched a tape of Jeter and saw her undeniable talent. And when she found out she was still available, she asked associate head coach and recruiting coordinator Zach Kancher to get her on the phone.

“(His call) was a relief for me honestly, because a lot of schools called but the first thing they said was stuff they heard about me,” Jeter says. “And a lot of people don't know me from a personal standpoint. But when assistant coach Zach called and introduced himself to me, he was like ‘I don't know, I've heard things, but you tell me what happened.’

“I just broke down on the phone with him and I told him what happened.”

After several phone calls, Jeter arrived on campus for a visit two days later and committed almost instantly.

In those interactions and in getting to know Jeter, Richardson just summed up the injury as a good kid who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. In fact, one of the things that stood out to Richardson, was Jeter’s manners.

Especially when asked a question, she would respond with a “yes ma’am” or “no ma’am.”

“She was raised by her grandmother, and I could hear those influences in the conversations,” Richardson says, remembering those initial conversations. “We talked about family, and we talked about gatherings, we talked about church, we talked about her neighborhood and stuff like that.

“She reminded me of me,” Richardson continues. “I remember having to persevere through things that other people hadn't. So, listening to her and hearing her story, I knew she was strong because she's had to persevere through some things. I knew that even with this injury, she'd be one of those fighters.”

READ MORE: Kionna Jeter is Finding Her Family and Earning Her Stripes

Jeter brought that fighting attitude to the Tigers. During her time at TU, Jeter was named to the All-CAA First Team and CAA All-Defensive team the last two years; she reached the 1,000-point mark last season as well and was the fastest player in program history to reach it, in 56 games.

She also helped the Tigers make history in 2019, when Jeter helped lead Towson University to its first CAA Women’s Basketball Championship and the program’s first NCAA Tournament game

This year, the Tigers are expecting big things, and were selected to finish third in the 2020 CAA Preseason Poll for the second consecutive year. The Tigers will begin the season on Wednesday, Nov. 25 at home against East Carolina. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m., but there will be no fans allowed in attendance due to COVID-19 protocols.

And while the Tigers have big hopes for 2021, Richardson knows there are big things ahead for Jeter.

“We’ve gone from her maybe not being able to play basketball to maybe possibly being drafted in the WNBA,” Richardson says.  “And she's put up numbers and done so well that she's got the attention of some WNBA scouts.”