With Tomekia Reed now the head women’s basketball coach at UNC Charlotte, Jackson State faces the daunting task of replacing the best coach in the SWAC.
Athletic Director Ashley Robinson and his staff are searching for a replacement after Reed stepped down as Tigers coach on Thursday to take the 49ers’ jobs. Here are four names that should be on the shortlist.
Nadine Domond | Virginia State
In only her second season at Virginia State, Domond has led the Trojans to the program’s best win-loss record in the CIAA North, at a 23-5 overall record and 23-4 in the conference. In her first season at Virginia State, Domond improved the Trojans to 8-8 within the CIAA and a second-round appearance in the CIAA conference tournament.
The SWAC would be familiar territory for Domond as she was the head coach at Grambling State from 2014-16. Domond guided the Tigers to a 17-14 mark, including 13-5 in the SWAC, and was named SWAC Coach of the Year in her three seasons.
Eric Jackson Jr. | Rust College
In his tenure at Rust, Jackson has compiled a 117-56 overall record and a 59-29 mark in the GCAC. This past season, Jackson led the Lady Bearcats to a 28-4 overall record (the school’s first consecutive 20-win season in 35 years) and a nearly unblemished record of 17-1 in conference play. Under his guidance, the Bearcats have won the last three GCAC tournament titles.
Kevin Herod | Florida Memorial
Herod went 41-21 and 28-16 in the Sooner Athletic Conference in his two seasons at Langston. His Lions ballclub advanced to the finals of the SAC Tournament. The Lions previously appeared in the NAIA National Championship Tournament. Herod was named head coach at Florida Memorial in the offseason.
Before his time at Langston, Herod spent eight seasons as the head coach at Talladega College, compiling a 171-68 overall mark. The Lions also claimed four GCAC regular season crowns and a conference tournament championship in 2017. Herod was named GCAC Coach of the Year in 2016 and 2017.
Larry Vickers | Norfolk State
Vickers has risen to one of the top women’s basketball coaches at the HBCU level after leading the Spartans to three consecutive postseason appearances, including two straight NCAA tournament berths and a pair of MEAC championships. The two-time MEAC Coach of the Year has compiled a 53-14 overall record and a sterling 24-4 mark in the MEAC over the last two seasons. 
