Jackson State head coach Tomekia Reed was already an accomplished head coach before LSU’s Kim Mulkey gave her what some felt was a back-handed comment after nearly beating her squad this March.
While many people took Mulkey’s commentary as subversive, Reed told Ralph Cooper of KCOH Radio that she didn’t see it that way at all.
“She told me I’m one of the top coaches in America. She said, the sky’s the limit for you, and I’m so proud of you. I don’t think you’ll be at Jackson State for long. And, if you do, they need to pay you. It was something that she shared with me, and a lot of people felt a certain type of way. I didn’t feel that was a negative comment. I felt it was someone who recognized talent and stamped it.”
Indeed, other programs have clearly taken notice. The two-time SWAC Coach of the Year revealed that she has had interviews with bigger programs and was offered by another one.
“I had several interviews with some Power Five institutions,” Reed said. “I mean, it was amazing. It came down the stretch, and I was one of the finalists for a particular position, but I was I was not afforded that opportunity. I had another opportunity that was offered to me, and I almost accepted that opportunity. But, I felt like it was more work to be done [at Jackson State].”
It’s no surprise ADs are interested in Tomekia Reed. JSU has won three-consecutive SWAC regular season titles and back-to-back SWAC tournaments, winning 87 percent of its games since she took over. Reed told Cooper that she and JSU haven’t come to an agreement yet, but they are negotiating a possible extension, which she expects to happen.
“I chose to come back under the impression that what I was asking for in my contract was going to be given at the time. Since then, it hasn’t changed,” Reed said. “That was a job that I turned down. I had opportunities. But, sometimes, I just felt like it was more work to do.”
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
