Jackson State Nearly Conquered an SEC Giant. Now the Tigers Want More.

After going stride-for-stride with LSU in last year’s NCAA tournament, coach Tomekia Reed has been carefully crafting a plan to return to the Big Dance.

Tomekia Reed loathes complacency. That trait doesn’t exist in her DNA. Mediocrity doesn’t fit in her visual perception as a coach or a full-time mother to her 10-year-old son, Carlon. “She’s big on discipline and demands excellence,” says Jackson State guard Miya Crump. Reed is in constant pursuit of growth and success. It’s how she has elevated the JSU women’s basketball program—her matter-of-fact approach to details, eye-catching outfits at games and fortitude through adversity breeds confidence in her players, not allowing them to settle for less, even when they are exhausted.

On Dec. 8 during a morning practice inside the Walter Payton Health and Recreation Center, Reed is immersed in a defensive drill ahead of the HBCU’s clash against Missouri. “We got to be d--- smart … and stay wide,” Reed says to her players. “That’s the only reason why Missouri is 5–1.” As her players move synchronically in rotation, Reed’s pedagogy exceeds the early-December matchup against a middle-of-the-pack SEC squad. It’s part of the team’s creed this season to “knock down walls,” and “do something that’s never been done before,” she says. Reed, who is in her fifth season at JSU, has posted an 85–45 mark and 64–10 record in SWAC action, which includes tying the single-season wins record (23) last season, three consecutive regular-season championships and two conference tournament titles in three appearances.

Her brazen frame of mind precedes SWAC dominance and involves the Tigers ascending into the national conversation of women’s college basketball by “beating Power 5 programs.” Reed placed a check mark by that goal this season, knocking off Big 12 foe Texas Tech on Nov. 15 in the preseason WNIT while still recording some close losses against UCLA (60–72), Oregon State (63–53) and Missouri (61–74) this season. The transfer portal, like for many programs, has been advantageous for Reed, who is aiming for more parity in women’s basketball.

Coaching at an HBCU versus a Group of 5 or Power 5 program is night and day. Or, as Reed recently tweeted, not for the weak. “You’re going to fight battles internally and externally,” she says. “If you aren’t willing to roll up your sleeves, make a difference … then get out of the way. Our work here is bigger than us.” Nothing lit a fire inside of Reed more than watching her team go stride-for-stride in a near-historic upset of Kim Mulkey’s LSU squad during the opening round of the 2022 women’s NCAA tournament. JSU’s 83–77 heartbreaking defeat was not the outcome it wanted. But it put thousands of spirited fans inside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center and millions around the world watching the game on notice of what Reed was assembling at Jackson State. Even Mulkey—who nearly jumped out of her shimmery black-and-gold jacket during the final quarter—acknowledged her opponent’s preparation, saying Reed would not be at JSU long if the program didn’t “pay” her based on her talent.

Reed interviewed with programs from the Pac-12, the Big 12, the American and Mountain West conferences and was a finalist for a Power 5 program. But she also felt there was unfinished business to take charge of this season. A fourth consecutive regular-season title? The chance to win a third SWAC tournament title in five seasons and a third straight appearance in the Big Dance? All of it’s possible, and to some, it’s prescient. The moment is not too big for Reed, who spent more than two decades—as a player and coach—training and preparing to shatter barriers to success.

As she breaks the huddle after giving instruction to her first five players for the next drill, Reed retreats to the sideline. Her coaching style—manufactured with a ladder of DNA composed of love, family and phenomenal recruiting—is the key to her success. However, achievement does not come without change and sacrifices.

Inside the boisterous PMAC, Reed dons a stoic facial expression from the sideline while on the cusp of defying a series of odds stacked as tall as the World Trade Center in New York. A 14-seed had never defeated a three-seed in the women’s NCAA tournament history. In fact, the record was an overwhelming 0–111 entering the contest, and Mulkey had never lost a first-round game in the tournament since her first season at Baylor in 2000–01. But an impassioned technical foul called on Reed, with JSU trailing by 17 with 8:44 to play in the third quarter, ignited her team to outscore LSU, 28–10. By the end of the period, Jackson State’s confidence was in full effect. The Sonic Boom of the South was alive and in color, and fans were on their feet.

The pendulum of momentum continued to swing in the HBCU’s favor, and the basket started to feel more like the Mississippi River deep into the fourth. Crump, JSU’s leading scorer in the contest, was composed. The University of Houston transfer notched a giant corner three and a set of free throws after she was fouled while contesting an aggressive layup, giving Jackson State a 74–64 advantage with 4:54 to play. JSU, who was 0–5 in NCAA tournament games entering the matchup, was primed to earn the league’s first win and the program’s first tournament victory. Go back to 1983: That’s the last time JSU inched this close to securing a tournament win under the late Sadie Magee—the all-time winningest women’s basketball coach in JSU history—who came within three points against Middle Tennessee State.

But JSU didn’t go down without a fight last March. Out of all the clutch buckets Crump converted, none were bigger than the one she missed in the final moments. Trailing 81–77, Crump inbounded a pass to veteran point guard Jariyah Covington before running to the paint. Seconds later, she dashed for the left wing as Daja Woodard set the back screen, allowing Crump to fire a clean look beyond the arc that hit the left iron of the rim and bounced into the hands of an LSU player. After JSU committed a foul to extend the game, Crump stared temporarily at the sideline in dismay. LSU survived because of foul trouble from SWAC Player of the Year Ameshya Williams-Holliday and plain old experience in games on the biggest stage. “That was our game … now we have a chip on our shoulder,” Covington says.

As Crump’s teammates battle in a box-out drill during that Dec. 8 practice, she bounces a basketball back and forth behind her back while encouraging her teammates to maintain the intensity. The preseason All-SWAC first-team selection says she often still feels that moment of defeat. “It still hurts to this day,” Crump says. She’s wearing a blue shirt that reads “No Quit” and she’s embracing the mantra, even while sidelined with a hairline fracture in her hand after playing in the team’s first four nonconference matchups. But in a new season, she views the loss as a “teaching moment,” citing this year’s team has “different pieces to the puzzle” that can compete against Power 5 opponents.

After the departure of Williams-Holliday—who became the first HBCU player drafted in the WNBA since 2002 and only the sixth player from an HBCU selected in WNBA history when the Indiana Fever took her in the third round in April—many thought JSU’s reign as a SWAC powerhouse was complete. But not Reed. In building her coaching DNA over the years, she has weaved in countless fibers to her recruiting that goes beyond just bringing a player into the program. She extends an olive branch of love, peace and dedication to hard work in seeking great reward.

“I don’t look at it as recruiting, but rather meeting a new friend,” Reed says. “It’s about bringing in people who believe in something greater than themselves while also loving those around them.”

Reed is no stranger to the recruitment process, having reeled in top players at South Georgia Technical College, Louisiana Lafayette, Southern Mississippi, the University of New Orleans and Louisiana Tech under then head coach and five-time WNBA All-Star Teresa Weatherspoon, who is now an assistant for the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans. Those experiences not only helped her bring in Williams-Holliday and 2021 SWAC Player of the Year Dayzsha Rogan, but also a set of twin towers in the post with 6'6" Southern California transfer Angel Jackson—a former McDonald’s All-American—and former Mississippi standout and five-star recruit Daphane White, a 6'5" center who sat out last season but practiced with the team.

“A lot of people didn’t know about White,” she adds. “I’ve never coached a player as big and skilled as her.”

White’s comparison? Former Mississippi State standout and Dallas Wings star Teaira McCowan. “She’s a lot like her in size and her abilities,” Reed adds. She also signed former sharpshooting Rutgers transfer Liz Martino, who played behind former Rutgers three-point assassin and 2021 draft pick Arella Guirantes, to go along with a returning core from last year’s championship squad that includes the league’s Preseason Defensive Player of the Year Woodard and a bevy of veteran guards in Crump, Covington, Keshuna Luckett and Ti’Ian Boler. Jackson currently ranks third in the SWAC in rebounding, first in defensive rebounding and second in blocked shots. Woodard sits at No.11 rebounding, and Martino ranks in the top 10 in three-pointers made per game, while Luckett leads the league in assists per game and assist-to-turnover ratio.

As for Crump, who returned to the hardwood in the Tigers’ victory against SE Louisiana on Dec. 23, she’s prepared for JSU to shock some teams if the Tigers find themselves in this year’s tournament field of 68. “As an HBCU, we surprised a lot of teams last year but this year … it’s going to be more,” Crump says. “Everybody thought we lost so much with Ameshya and Rogan … but in reality … we lost some and gained a lot more. … We’ll be back.” But with a collection of newcomers intertwined with the old, a team is not destined to sync immediately. It presents new challenges and demands updated plans of action while surveying thousands of hours of film to prepare for the 40-minute battles. “I like to show different things and I don’t like to be easily scouted,” Reed says. However, her players took a little longer to adjust to her new approach after last season. “It wasn’t a happy place for me,” she adds.

It’s Jan. 11, three days before a Texas swing in conference play. For Reed, there are no days off, even after the Tigers dismantled both Alabama A&M and Alabama State—which was predicted to finish No. 2 in the conference—the week before. She stands off to the corner inside the Athletic and Assembly Center, underscoring the importance of her post players defending in a four-out, one-in drill before she switches gears to remind them to work through the middle of the court and set good ball screens. As Reed walks to the sideline—dressed in her khaki sports jumpsuit—and looks at her phone following practice, she smiles. While she is largely happy in general, her beam is a lot brighter now that her team has begun to embrace her system. When the Tigers started the season with a 91–59 loss against North Carolina, it was a team of individuals moving about on the floor. “We were not in unity,” she adds. That demeanor cascaded throughout the first two months of the season, and the team was not jelling with Reed’s expectations. “We had players who had roles last year wanting bigger roles,” she says. “I lost a lot of sleep trying to figure it out.”

Reed added more than a dozen new sets this year, wanting her team to buy into defense as the main priority instead of being immensely “offensive driven” and crashing the boards. According to Her Hoop Stats, the Tigers’ current offensive rating is third-best under Reed’s JSU tenure. The defensive rating is second-best, while the total rebound rate and defensive rebound rate is fifth and third, respectively. What unfolded in response to Reed’s frustration was a players meeting to build stronger bonds and implement accountability in accepting their roles on the team. “We became more of a family and started loving each other,” Reed says. That camaraderie was on full display after Jackson State earned a 10-point win against Alcorn to start conference action.

However, for a team used to winning league games by 20 and 30 points a year ago, Reed’s players were not content. They sat in the locker room nearly an hour after the win, discussing what to improve ahead of their next game. In its clash against Alabama State, one that the Tigers deemed “Championship Saturday” after the close win against the Braves, JSU had a mission. The Tigers succeeded and left no doubt that their yearning for more conference titles and toppling their barriers in a chance to return to the Big Dance were still in reach. Even after a loss to Prairie View last Saturday, Jackson State responded with a resounding win against Texas Southern with four players in double figures, including a double double from White. “We’re starting to feel like a family,” Covington says.

Before Reed came in as head coach, JSU wasn’t among the SWAC’s apex like it was when she was an assistant and recruiting coordinator under former head coach Denise Taylor from 2006 to ’09. During that time, Reed watched Taylor lead JSU to two WNIT appearances, a regular-season conference title and a conference tournament crown. When the Jackson, Miss., native, returned home to accept her “dream job” in April ’18 after restoring the women’s basketball program at Hinds Community College in Utica, Miss., to prominence, Reed had her hands full. She replaced Surina Dixon, who spent six years leading JSU to an 82–93 mark and a dismal 1–3 in the league’s annual tournament. Despite starting 1–5 in her first six games and losing her biggest fan in her father, John, in October of that first season, she was up for the challenge. Half a decade later with multiple titles and a 4–1 SWAC mark heading into a two-game homestand starting Saturday against Bethune Cookman, Jackson State (7–8) envisions more. It’s why Reed pushes her players to the very last second of practice, ending with a set of laps. “We’re nowhere near our potential and where we should be,” she says.

Between film study, practice sessions and games, Carlon is front and center to his mother’s calling. Moving through life as a single mother and serving as the face of an ascending HBCU program can be difficult. It’s even harder when Carlon was born with type 1 diabetes, requiring Reed to monitor what he eats and always keeping him close by. But she also gets help from her players and staff in Carlon’s upbringing. He is “in tune with everything,” Reed says. “He knows when I’m upset with the outcome of a game. In different moments, he’ll look at me and say, ‘Mommy, you good’ and give me a thumbs-up.” Before Reed realized there was something special about her son, her father—who was a minister—attempted to tell her. Prophecy runs in her family, and John always felt Carlon was prophetic. After several consecutive losses during nonconference play, Carlon put his arms around his mother and told her that JSU was still going to win the SWAC. “He’s got a lot of wisdom, and when he talks I listen,” she says. It’s why she believes her son is her biggest blessing.

As the Tigers try to defend their conference crown in hopes of an NCAA automatic bid, it comes down to consistency, defense, playing for one another and not “beating themselves,” Crump says. Reed agrees: “There’s no room to go backwards. …We’ve been battle tested,” she adds. The program does not have the resources of other schools. But many other programs don’t necessarily have the heart that JSU players do, which is what will hopefully lead them to seizing the final wall of adversity. “I don’t care about no rankings when you step on the court,” Woodard says. “It’s my team versus yours. … You’re going to have to show me that you’re better. … I think we can get to maybe the Sweet 16 in the tournament.”

Between the remaining peaks and valleys of the season, rest assured that Reed will be dressed flawlessly for the moment, one that is not centered around personal gain but representing her team and HBCUs nationwide. “When I put on designer clothes, a suit or a pencil skirt, I’m showing power, resourcefulness and a connection that’s bigger than basketball,” Reed says.

“I always want to be fly, even when I go to bed. My mom always said I couldn’t be average and that your appearance speaks before opening your mouth. With the negative stereotypes around HBCUs, I can’t be average and I won’t.”