Texas Southern women’s basketball coach Cynthia Cooper-Dyke’s list of accomplishments should have qualified her for any job in the basketball world. She’s won a championship in high school, two collegiately, four in the WNBA and two Olympic medals. Individually, she’s a four-time WNBA Finals MVP, two-time WNBA MVP, three-time All-Star and a four-time All-WNBA first-team selection.

Once her playing career ended in 2003 and she was pondering her next career steps, the only flaw on Cooper-Dyke’s résumé complicated her job search: She didn’t complete her bachelor’s degree. When it was time for Cooper-Dyke to find a college coaching opportunity, it was a historically Black college and university (HBCU) that gave her the shot and a path to finish her degree. Read More