She accepted on Thursday, Apr. 25 and on the following Monday, athletic director Mike Hill formally introduced her as the new head coach at a press conference.

“Charlotte got a great hire in Tomekia Reed,” Dawn Staley commented.  “She is going to be a great advocate for her student-athletes. She is a great basketball mind and uniter of the community. Being this close to Charlotte, I will be paying close attention to her success.”

This means EVERYTHING!!! Two people that I have GREAT respect for. Thank you @dawnstaley and @UConnWBB Geno!!! I greatly appreciate what you do for the game and how you uplift coaches like myself advocating for change and opportunities. https://t.co/1maYmw6JKI

— Coach Tomekia Reed (@CoachTReed) May 3, 2024

Reed has already made her mark with the announcement of landing former Texas A&M guard Kay Kay Green. This strategic recruitment not only strengthens the team’s roster but also demonstrates Reed’s ability to attract top talent to UNC Charlotte.  

UConn’s Geno Auriemma expressed, “I’m so excited that Tomekia Reed has been named the head coach at Charlotte. After coaching against her team, I came away super impressed with how hard they work and how disciplined they are. Congrats to Coach Reed and to Charlotte for reaching out of the box and getting a terrific coach.”   

Auriemma’s words echoed his sentiments about Coach Reed in his postgame interview after UConn defeated Jackson State: “They certainly don’t get on TV enough, and they certainly don’t get enough recognition, and I wanted to let her know that and put myself out there for her. I think we need coaches like her to be celebrated.”

Coach Geno Auriemma’s comments on Coach Reed and JSU. @HBCULegends @GoJSUTigersWBB pic.twitter.com/DokLl7rTlH

— Kyle T. Mosley (@ktmoze) March 23, 2024

Reed posted humbling words about the commentary from the two coaching legends. “This means EVERYTHING!!! Two people that I have GREAT respect for. Thank you Dawn Staley and Geno!!! I greatly appreciate what you do for the game and how you uplift coaches like myself advocating for change and opportunities.

Geno Auriemma said about Jackson State, “I’m really impressed by them, and they are exceptionally well coached.”

ALSO READ: HUGE DISPARITY BETWEEN HBCUs AND POWER CONFERENCE TEAMS

VIDEO:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9t5jxUmRC8

DISPARITY BETWEEN JACKSON STATE, NORFOLK STATE, AND POWER CONFERENCES

No. 3 UConn (30-5) had $8.5 million in total operating expenses, 11x more than No. 14 Jackson State University (26-7) from 2021-22. According to EADA reported by the Jackson State athletic department for the 2022-23 season, the women’s basketball team’s total expenses were $894,572.00. Its game-day expenses for lodging, meals, transportation, uniforms, equipment, event costs, and officials were $218,802.00. That’s an average of $13,675.00 for 16 Lady Tigers basketball program participants.

A snapshot of the total 2022-23 operating expenses for the No. 3 UConn women’s basketball team was $10,468,272.00 for a difference of $9,573,700.00 to the Jackson State women’s basketball team. The staggering difference directly correlates with the top seeds dominating the lower seeds. Get this fact from Lev Akabas’ report, “Top three seeds are 347-1 historically in the round of 64 and have won all 41 titles. No. 1 seeds have won 10 of the past 11 national championships.”

Geno Auriemma expressed a concern for HBCUs and mid-major schools while playing in the NCAA Women’s Championship:

“I do think they suffer from the same thing that a lot of mid-major schools suffer, getting people that are at a high level, getting them to want to play you [Jackson State]. It’s really, really hard to put together a schedule when you’re in their situation because everybody just wants you to come to their place, and they’ll pay you some money to come there, but they’ll never come to your place and play.”

Geno Auriemma said about Jackson State, “I’m really impressed by them, and they are exceptionally well coached.”

Coach Geno Auriemma’s comments on Coach Reed and JSU. @HBCULegends @GoJSUTigersWBB pic.twitter.com/DokLl7rTlH

— Kyle T. Mosley (@ktmoze) March 23, 2024

The Huskies extended its first-half lead 49-28 with excellent ball movement and shot selection by Aaliyah Edwards, Ashlynn Shade, and Paige Bueckers.

Senior guard Ti’lan Boler led the Tigers in scoring with 25 points and three rebounds. In their final game at Jackson State, Angel Jackson scored 13 points and grabbed four rebounds, while Miya Crump and Keshuna Luckett each contributed six points in the losing effort.

“They certainly don’t get on TV enough, and they certainly don’t get enough recognition, and I wanted to let her know that and I wanted to put myself out there for her.  I think we need coaches like her to be celebrated.”— Coach Geno Auriemma

The Tigers struggled to find their rhythm, scoring 32.8% from the floor due to UConn’s strong defense. In the afternoon, the Huskies shot 50% and 37.5% from beyond the arc. They also outrebounded Jackson State 46 to 38.

UConn will face the winner of No. 6 Syracuse and No. 11 Arizona.

ALSO READ: HUGE DISPARITY BETWEEN HBCUs AND POWER CONFERENCE TEAMS

“It’s not too often that a coach who wins a national championship wants to share that with other coaches — not just other coaches, but other coaches whose chances are very few in this game, and that’s black female coaches,” Coach Reed said.

The No. 14 Jackson State Tigers (26-6) will play in the first round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament against the No. 3 UConn Huskies (29-5) at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Connecticut. “Coming in at a 14 seed is truly an honor. We could have been 16, could have been 15, but we’re 14th. And we get an opportunity to play Geno [Auriemma], a legend and a really good UConn team,” JSU Coach Tomekia Reed addressed at Jackson State’s Announcement Party about Saturday’s tip-off in Storrs, Connecticut.

Reed had two previous contentious battles that ended in losses with coaching legend Kim Mulkey (LSU and Baylor). She’ll have to match coaching wits on Saturday with eleven-time tournament championship coach Geno Auriemma and UConn.

NO. 14 JACKSON STATE vs. NO. 3 UCONN

• Game Day: Saturday, March 23, 2024
• Game Time: 12:00 PM CT
• Location: Gampel Pavilion Court, Storrs, Connecticut
• Broadcast: ABC
• Tournament Round Info: Portland 3 Region

“Against LSU, it was fun. We were relaxed. We had our composure. We we weren’t nervous. My coaching staff did a great job in preparing, the team. As a head coach, I think I made some mistakes in that game. I think I can come back and do some things differently. I learned from that.”

Jackson State’s optimistic and determined mindset may set the stage for another epic collegiate showdown in Connecticut. It’s an underdog story that resonates with many sports enthusiasts. The challenge of clashing with a Geno Auriemma team is still real, but the Lady Tigers are undaunted.

UConn’s frontcourt star Aaliyah Edwards will return from a second broken nose injury sustained in the Big East quarterfinal game.  In 2023-24, she’s averaging 18.6 points and 9.9 rebounds.

Expect Angel Edwards to play a large role for Jackson State.   The SWAC Defensive Player of the Year will have her hands full as UConn likes to attack the basket and score inside the paint.

“Every year, we want to raise the bar. Every year, we want to do something different that’s never been done… It would be a lot for our program. It would be a lot for our HBCU community. So we want to go and be the heroes.”

Reed’s aspirations to elevate the program’s legacy by aiming for unprecedented achievements in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. As Coach Reed told HBCU Legends this summer, the JSU coaching staff and her players “understand the mission.” Jackson State’s journey promises to inspire and captivate the sports world as they embody the essence of HBCU legends in collegiate athletics. Think about it. Why would ABC broadcast the event nationally if they expected a poor showing by the 2023-24 SWAC Women’s Champions? Could Jackson State become the Cinderellas of the Tourney?

We shall see.