Former Jackson State coach Tomekia Reed was formally introduced as the new women’s basketball coach at Charlotte on Monday. On several occasions during her formal remarks she acknowledged her time at JSU and the great relationship she shared with Jackson State athletic director Ashley Robinson.
“I want to thank him for his support and for allowing me to win many, many championships at Jackson State University. I am forever grateful for my HBCU family and experiences. To all of my former players and fans, you will always hold a special place in my heart. Over the years I have kept my head down. I have worked hard. I have burned both ends of the candle. I have waited patiently for an opportunity like this,” Reed said.
What does the opportunity at Charlotte mean for Reed? For her more of what she accomplished at Jackson State, championships and trophies.
“We will be the most trendy, the most attractive and the most winningest program in Division one basketball. And I must say, I want more hardware. I want more trophies, I want more rings, I want more championships. And this will be the new location for where the rings reside,” she continued.
During her remarks Reed said she will bring her coaching staff from Jackson State along with her to Charlotte– Chase Campbell, Jonathan Williams and LaShonda Cousin, while also adding additional staffers.
“I am currently still working on my staff, but right now I have the three best coaches in the country that have come with me here. and they are go getters. Skill developing coaches, coaches who ran their own skill development organization. I have a former head coach on my staff who was on the men’s side. So he has a very tough mentality. He gets it. And then I have a coach who’s been with me since she was a graduate assistant. So she is a split image of who I am.”
Before leaving the podium Tomekia Reed did take another moment to reflect on her time at JSU when asked a question from our Wali Pitt.
“Our time in Jackson was amazing. I didn’t realize how much had been accomplished until I was getting ready to leave, and it was very emotional for myself, my staff and my team. I’m the type of coach. I don’t really look at what we do in the moment because if you get comfortable, you don’t grow. And so we quickly move on to continue to be successful. But my time at Jackson State and the HBCU community was amazing. it’s an experience I will never forget. I will never forget my experience there. And I’m very grateful for the HBCU community and what we were able to do in terms of putting HBCUs on a higher map.”