Hall of Fame
Talaya King of Hampton, Va. came to the Chowan University women’s basketball program in 2009 after being recruited by then-head coach Patrick Mashuda, now the Assistant Vice President of Athletics and Compliance. That year, she won the CIAA Rookie of the Year Award and was named to the NCAA DII Freshman All-American Team. Over the next four years, King racked up (3) All CIAA Team honors, was selected to two All CIAA Tournament Teams, and was named Most Valuable Player at the 2012 CIAA Basketball Tournament after guiding the Hawks to their first-ever CIAA Tournament semi-final appearance as part of the storied CIAA.
“Talaya never had a bad day on the court. Whether it was in practice or in a game, Talaya showed up,” said Patrick Mashuda, Talaya’s former coach at Chowan. “She was a complete player who was respected by her teammates and feared by opponents. She was all business, all the time and came to do her job both on the court and in the classroom.”
Talaya was a prolific scorer for the Hawks and averaged 14.0 ppg during her career after having played in 102 games in the CU Blue and White. During Senior Night, she closed out the home portion of her college basketball career with a monster game for Chowan, leading all scorers in the contest with 37 points as Chowan picked up a key Northern Division victory in the CIAA with a 71-57 victory over the Lady Panthers of Virginia Union University. Her output equals the school’s single-game scoring record; and was six more than her previous high of 31 against Fayetteville State.
Talaya ended her career with 1,412 points and 578 total rebounds, and ranks second in the Chowan University women’s basketball records for career points. With 203 three Point field goals made, she is the program’s all time leader. She set and still holds records in three statistical categories
Talaya’s experiences at Chowan prepared her for the next step in her career path. Shortly after graduation from Chowan, with her degree in Information Systems, she joined the staff at Montreat College as an assistant women’s basketball coach. She later enlisted in the United States Army. She advanced to the rank of Corporal while stationed at Fort Drum in New York, supporting the vital mission at 10th Mountain Division as an IT Specialist.
Currently, Talaya serves as a production scheduler for Huntington Ingalls Industries at Newport News Shipbuilding. She currently resides in Hampton, Virginia with her husband Mike and their two young bundles of joy, Serenity and Kanan King.
