Morgan State women’s basketball junior Dakota Alston recently chatted with PressBox about being the valedictorian of her high school class, her first impressions of new coach Nadine Domond and more. The 5-foot-8 guard averaged 2.3 points and 1.6 rebounds per game for the Bears in 2024-25. Alston is a native of Detroit and graduate of Detroit Edison Public School Academy.
PressBox: How did you first become interested in basketball?
Dakota Alston: I first became interested in basketball through my family, my brother, my dad. I’ve always been around sports. My brother, [Elantre], played football. I would just always be outside with him playing basketball, football, all types of sports, but I found my interest in basketball [by] playing around the neighborhood. I just fell in love with basketball.
PB: Who was the biggest influence on your game growing up?
DA: I would say LeBron because a coach told me I was like LeBron because he’s so versatile, being able to play all positions, doing whatever is needed on the court.
PB: What did it mean to be the valedictorian of your graduating class at Detroit Edison Public School Academy?
DA: It means a lot, especially being a student-athlete. I feel like I got a lot of recognition for that, having to handle the court and schoolwork. It was a big accomplishment for me. It meant a lot to my coach. I was one of the first-ever girls’ basketball players to win valedictorian at my high school, so it was a pretty good accomplishment.
PB: What are you studying now at Morgan?
DA: Right now, I’m studying information systems. I want to be a software engineer, get into web development, just a lot of stuff with technology.
PB: Why did you choose to go to Morgan?
DA: I chose to go to Morgan because of the culture. When I first stepped on campus, it felt like a family. They always stayed in contact with me. They made sure I was good at all times. It felt like the perfect fit for me.
PB: What’s your favorite thing about Morgan?
DA: It’s a family environment. You walk around campus and you just know everybody. Everyone looks out for each other. It’s never hard to ask questions. It just feels like home.
PB: Who’s your best friend on the team and what’s a story that underscores your friendship?
DA: Right now I would say my best friend on the team is Success [Prysock] because after our change in coaching, it was a lot for us. The returners had to go through a lot with a whole staff change, so I feel like we all got closer. I felt I got the closest with Success because we have to go through this together.
PB: Why did you choose to stick around after Ed Davis Jr. stepped down and Nadine Domond took over as head coach?
DA: I chose to stick around because I felt like it was a good change. I felt like she was going to change our program to become better on the court and off the court. I felt like I wanted to stick it out and see how it went.
PB: What have been your impressions of Domond so far?
DA: She’s definitely a tough coach, but she’s tough in all the good ways. She’s going to make you uncomfortable to make you be the best version of yourself. That’s what I love the most about her. She might tell you what you don’t want to hear, but it’s what you need to hear. She’s definitely going to push you to be the best person that you can be.
PB: What advice would you give to younger players looking to play in college?
DA: I would say when you’re young definitely just get out there and play basketball every day — five-on-five, four-on-four, whatever. Just get comfortable playing basketball and get comfortable playing against other people. I feel like that’s the best way to get better is when you’re putting your skills against people instead of just doing drills. So definitely get out there and just play every day.
PB: What are your goals for after basketball, whenever it ends?
DA: I definitely want to look into going overseas after college. If that doesn’t work out, I definitely want to get into my current field becoming a software engineer, get into fashion design … different areas I want to dive into.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Morgan State Athletics