Guard/Forward
Graduate Student • 6-0 • Clarksdale, Miss. / Coahoma County HS / Coahoma CC

Redshirt Senior (2024-25)
• Saw playing time in 28 games with 25 starts on the year
• Poured in 209 points and averaged 7.5 points per game on the year with 6.5 rebounds and handing out 33 assists and tallied 42 steals
• Second on the team with 20 blocked shots
• Scored in double figures in eight games
• Registered a season-high 19 points, six rebounds, three steals and two blocks against Bethune-Cookman (1/27)
• Logged 13 points on 6-for-10 shooting from the floor versus Texas Southern (3/14) in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Tournament in Atlanta, Georgia, adding nine rebounds on the day as well
• Produced one double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds against Houston (11/21)

Redshirt Junior (2023-24)
• One of just two players to play and start in all 32 games for the Braves
• Logged a team-high 31.6 minutes per game, while finishing third on the team in scoring (9.5 points per game)
• Second on the team in three-pointers (24) and ended the campaign shooting 28.6 percent from long range
• Shot 38.0 percent from the floor overall with 114 field goals
• Topped the team in blocked shots (44)
• Averaged a team-high 7.5 rebounds as she grabbed down 241 boards altogether

Junior (2022-23)
• In her first season with Alcorn, Cheatham averaged 7.1 points, 6.0 rebounds and collected 22 assists with 21 steals
• Shot 38.6 percent from the field with a 27.0 percent clip from beyond the arc
• Finished fifth on the team in scoring (157 points) while grabbing in a team second-most 132 rebounds
• Connected on 59 for 153 shots from the field overall
• Started in 20-of-22 games in her junior season

Before Alcorn
• 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 s
econd 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

Coahoma County 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
• Earned her undergraduate degree in Agribusiness