How an 8-day flurry led to Charlotte hiring Jackson State women's basketball coach Tomekia Reed
In 2018, Jackson State hired Tomekia Reed as its women’s basketball coach. That same year, Mike Hill became the Charlotte athletic director.
In the six years that followed, Reed built Jackson State women's basketball into the best program in the Southwestern Athletic Conference and perhaps the best HBCU program nationwide. The Tigers reached the NCAA Tournament three times in the past four years.
Hill has spent those six years trying to build a competitive athletic program like the one he left at Florida, where he served in multiple roles over 24 years and helped hire successful coaches like Billy Donovan (men’s basketball), Steve Spurrier, Urban Meyer and Dan Mullen (football) and Amanda Butler (women’s basketball).
Last month, the paths of Reed and Hill merged when Charlotte announced it had hired Reed to take over its women's basketball program. The hiring came only eight days after the 49ers job came open, but it actually started two years ago.
How Mike Hill found out about Jackson State women's basketball coach Tomekia Reed
In March 2022, Charlotte won 22 games and earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament. Then-coach Cara Consuegra began to be courted by another school.
That same month, Reed and Jackson State narrowly lost to LSU 83-78 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. She, too, drew interest from other schools.
Hill put together a list of potential candidates if Consuegra left. With the LSU game fresh in his memory, he put Reed on that list. Consuegra decided to remain at Charlotte and Reed at Jackson State, but Hill didn't forget about Reed.
In 2024, another school came courting Charlotte's coach. This time, it was Marquette, Consuegra's alma mater. On April 17, Marquette announced it had hired Consuegra,
The short timeline of Charlotte's hiring of Tomekia Reed
Hill got busy. Here's his timeline of his hiring Reed
April 18: Hill vets several candidates to become the next coach, including Reed
April 19: Hill meets with the Charlotte women's basketball team and asks what qualities are important to the players in their new coach.
April 20: Hill calls Jackson State athletic director Ashley Robinson, seeking his opinion of Reed and then his permission to talk to her. Hill said Robinson "raved" about Reed. His next call is to Reed, who accepts an offer to interview.
April 21: Hill, his staff and numerous other school officials make preparations for Reed's visit.
April 22: Reed arrives in Charlotte. She talks to 12-15 people, either one-on-one or in small groups, and including the chancellor and executive staff.
April 23: Hill and the committee meet with another candidate on campus. Hill says it's "really unanimous" that Reed is the person to lead the program.
April 24: The Board of Trustees meets and approves Reed's hiring. The school offers her a five-year contract, and she accepts.
WHY TOMEKIA REED LEFT JACKSON STATE Tomekia Reed on why she left Jackson State women's basketball to become coach at Charlotte
April 25: Reed is announced as the new coach.
Reed's hiring by Charlotte is groundbreaking — she is the first Black woman to serve as the program's coach — but Hill said it was most important to hire the best coach the school possibly could. He believes he did with Reed.
“Tomekia checked every single box that we were looking for,” Hill said. “Proven recruiter, developer of talent, and extended track record of success and someone that can bring major energy to our program and help build a community around a sport that is the hottest sports on the planet right now.”
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: How Charlotte chose Jackson State's Tomekia Reed as basketball coach
