DURHAM, N.C. – New Head Coach Olivia Gaines of North Carolina Central added two assistant coaches on Wednesday to complete her women's basketball staff.

Brett Vana and Rakim Gregory join the Eagles' program as it begins preparations for the 2026-27 season. Both assistants are part of an NCCU staff which includes Assistant Coach Cassie King and Director of Operations Austyn Chestnut, who both return from last season. Gregory is also the program's recruiting coordinator.

Led by Gaines, the Eagles are seeking to improve last season's overall (9-20) and conference (5-9) records.

BRETT VANA
Vana is a championship coach who arrives at NCCU from Millersville, where he was an assistant coach since 2023. His relationship with Gaines goes all the way back to his coaching days at Louisburg (N.C.).

As head coach, Vana led Louisburg to the national junior college crown in the 2012-13 season. His star player was Gaines, who was the junior college national player of the year before competing at South Carolina under Head Coach Dawn Staley.

Louisburg won two region titles and reached two consecutive Final Fours in addition to capturing the national title under Vana, who was named junior college national head coach of the year. During his two seasons at Louisburg, his teams posted a 63-5 mark.

His success at Louisburg started a 20-plus year collegiate coaching career including stops at Knox, Millersville and Division I programs Western Kentucky, Weber State and Chicago State as an assistant. He also coached internationally in Switzerland, Denmark and Germany.

Millersville made the postseason in each of Vana's three seasons despite playing in one of the nation's toughest Division II conferences (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference). Vana helped direct Knox to a school-record 22 wins, a conference title and an NCAA Division III Tournament berth behind the league's top-ranked defense.

His coaching career started successfully in 1997 as an assistant boys' basketball coach at Providence Day (N.C.) High School. The team won the state title in his only season at Providence Day.

Vana brings a defensive mindset and energy to NCCU.

Gaines Quote About Vana
"Coach Brett Vana played a huge role in my development as a player at Louisburg College. Winning a national championship under his leadership showed me firsthand what a true winner looks like. He brings a wealth of experience. I learned from one of the best coaches in the game."

RAKIM GREGORY
Gregory has built a reputation for developing talent after coaching nearly a decade on the collegiate and high school levels. His recruiting prowess comes from eight years of coaching and evaluating players on the travel ball circuit.

He was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator under Gaines when she was head coach at Allen during the 2024-25 season. During Gaines' impressive two-year run, Allen was 36-19 overall, including a 29-14 conference mark, from 2024 to 2026. Allen set single-season program records in the Division II era for overall (18) and conference (16) victories.

Gregory was instrumental in his only season at Allen. In addition to setting a school record for wins, Allen produced its first SIAC Player of the Year and SIAC Freshman of the Year in school history.

Gregory comes to NCCU from Palmetto (S.C.) Scholars Academy where he was head girls' basketball coach this past season. His coaching career includes stints at Summerville High School, Stall High School, Fort Dorchester High School and Oklahoma Panhandle State in addition to Allen and Palmetto Scholars Academy. He was an assistant under Gaines at Fort Dorchester in 2017.

During Gregory's coaching career, numerous players developed into All-State and All-Region standouts and earned spots on college rosters. In travel ball, Gregory worked with elite prospects and made recruiting connections while coaching at major events such as the Nike EYBL, Under Armour and adidas tournaments.
 
Gaines Quote About Gregory
"Rakim Gregory was instrumental to our success at Allen University as recruiting coordinator in 2024-2025. His work ethic and ability to connect with student-athletes are second to none. He knows the system and understands the type of players we want to bring in. I'm excited to work alongside him again."

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