WASHINGTON – Four Atlantic 10 Conference women’s basketball coaches have been named to the 2026 Kathy Delaney-Smith Coach of the Year preseason watchlist. Dayton’s Tamika Williams-Jeter, George Mason’s Vanessa Blair-Lewis, Richmond’s Aaron Roussell and Saint Joseph’s Cindy Griffin earned recognition on the list, released Wednesday by Her Hoop Stats.  

Williams-Jeter guided the Flyers to an 18-13 season last yeaer, including an 11-7 record in conference action. The Flyers received the sixth seed in the A-10 Women’s Basketball Championship, advancing to the A-10 quarterfinals. Under Williams-Jeter, Dayton has improved from 7 wins in her first season to 12 in her second campaign and 18 in her third year.  The Flyers have won a game in the A-10 Women’s Basketball Championship in each of Williams-Jeter's three seasons at the helm. 

Blair-Lewis is coming off a season in which she led George Mason to the program’s first-ever A-10 Women’s Basketball Championship title and appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Patriots posted a program best 27 wins last year under Blair-Lewis, coaching three Patriots to All-Conference honors including returners Zahirah Walton and Kennedy Harris. Entering her fifth season at George Mason, she has led the Patriots to back-to-back 20+ win seasons.  

With Roussell, the 2025 Kathy Delaney-Smith Coach of the Year recipient, at the helm, Richmond clinched its second consecutive A-10 regular season title and the top-seed in the A-10 Women’s Basketball Championship. The Spiders earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, a first for the program, and a No. 8 seed in the tournament. Led by back-to-back A-10 Coach of the Year, Richmond knocked off No. 9 Georgia Tech for the Spiders’ first-ever NCAA Tournament victory. Richmond begins the 2025-26 campaign ranked No. 24 in the AP Top 25 Women’s College Basketball preseason poll.  

Griffin led Saint Joseph’s to its third straight 20-plus win season last year, earning an appearance in the A-10 Women’s Basketball Championship final. The Hawks earned an at-large bid to the WBIT, receiving the No. 1 seed and hosting UAlbany in the first round. Griffin coached three All-Conference players last season including returning junior guard Aleah Snead, the 2025 Sixth Woman of the Year.  

The 2025-26 women’s basketball season begins Monday, Nov. 3, with a 10-game slate.