Previous School:
Played two seasons at Coahoma Community College in her hometown of Clarksdale, Mississippi as a forward and shooting guard under coach Stephanie Murphy…As a sophomore, was named to the NJCAA All-Region 23 team and was a Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference (MACCC) All-Conference first team and Conference MVP selection, aiding Coahoma in reaching a 21-7 record, a MACCC runner-up finish and a three-game run into the 2021-22 NJCAA Region 23 Tournament…Starting 25 of 26 games played, she was second on the team in scoring at a 12.0 ppg average, topping the squad and ranking second in the MACCC with 11.5 rebounds per outing, complemented by team bests of 1.7 steals and 1.2 blocks per game…As a freshman at CCC, she started 6 of 13 games and tied for the team’s top rebounder at 7.3 rpg, despite playing just 7.7 minutes on average…Scored 4.4 ppg as a freshman, ranking fourth on the team with 18 steals and tying for third for CCC with 4 blocks…Member of National Honor Society, graduating top of her class as a staple on the Principal’s List…Joined CCC teammates Ashanti Backus and Jeanee Anderson in the 2021 Alcorn recruiting class.
 
High School:
Played forward for Derrick Moore at Coahoma County High School, scoring over 1,000 career points and over 900 rebounds…Averaged a double-double of 14.1 ppg and 12.1 rpg as a senior for the Red Panthers, also chipping in 2.7 spg and 1.8 bpg to help CCHS to a 29-4 record and a MHSAA Runner-up finish…Ranked No. 23 among the top 50 girls basketball seniors in the state by Mississippi Play Sports…The MVP and Best Offensive Player for the Red Panthers, she was also named All-MHSAA first team in 2020…As a junior, she put up 10.6 ppg with 7.7 rpg and 3.3 spg while CCHS earned a 25-5 record and made it to the state playoffs…Named Offensive Player of the Year and MVP for the Red Panthers, earning All-MHSAA first team honors and a spot in the Mississippi All-Star game…As a freshman, CCHS was Class 2A state runner-up and Nakia collected the school’s first triple-double…Also lettered in track and cross country, twice winning the 400m MHSAA State 2A Championships with a top time of 61.06
 
Personal:
Nicknamed “Kia” or “KC”, Nakia Alaine Cheatham was born on June 23 in Clarksdale, Mississippi…The daughter of Nitosha Berry and Gary Cheatham…Her four brothers are Juwone, Deshun, Malik and the late Gary, Jr.; her two sisters are Shamiyah and Skylar…Numerous relatives have attended Alcorn State…Majoring in Agribusiness.