Following the UConn Lady Huskies’ big win over Jackson State to advance in the Women’s March Madness tournament, Geno Auriemma had nothing but praise for Tiger head coach Tomekia Reed. Auriemma used a bit of his time in the postgame press conference to salute her for an amazing season as well as speak about how Reed is an amazing coach.
“I wanted to commend her on her season, going undefeated in your league. I don’t care what league you play in. I don’t care who you play against. You play, 18 conference games and you win them all and you win your conference tournament. That’s a hell of a job and it’s not like the first time, right? I mean, she’s been doing this for quite some time now there and a lot of these coaches that work like that and you have tremendous success and put together great teams and have put together a terrific program. Nobody knows about them. They certainly don’t get on TV enough. They certainly don’t get enough recognition. And I wanted to let her know that and that I wanted to I wanted to put myself out there and for her. And I think we need coaches like her to be celebrated.”
He also advocated for coaches like Reed to be seriously considered for open positions at Power Five programs.
“And bigger schools need to not keep recycling coaches that are let go by other power five schools, whatever you want to call them, that they should start looking outside the box a little bit because there’s a lot of great coaches out there and she’s one of them.”
Reed was asked about Auriemma’s praise of her and representing the SWAC, saying, “For me at Jackson State I not only wanted to put our University on the map, I wanted to put HBCU on the map. We have such a special community that a lot of people overlook. We have a community that’s not built on wins and losses but built on family and love. I just want to be a great representation for that.
She continued, “When I came to Jackson State, I wanted to build a team that could be dominant in our conference but also a team that could be competitive outside of the conference versus Power Five institutions. And so I’m an advocate for HBCU. I’m an advocate for our representation, our proper representation and I commend our coaches when they do a good job when they win big games because when they do well it makes [the] entire conference look good it makes all HBCU look good”
Coach Reed also used the platform afforded to her during the press conference to advocate for changes to the Women’s March Madness tournament.
“The game is growing. We have pioneers like Coach Staley, Coach Geno, and, you know, giving these great words about our coaches. But the game does not grow if all Division I levels don’t grow. If the HBCUs, if the lower levels don’t grow, the game doesn’t grow. So we need coaches to continue to talk great things about us. We need to continue to build this level so that the game of basketball, women’s basketball, can continue to grow. I would love to see this tournament go to a neutral site like men’s basketball. We’ll have a better chance, you know, teams coming in as the 16 seed teams, coming in at 15 and 14, have a better chance to compete and not have those jitters. To be on an even playing field. So, I would love to see the game continue to grow to that. But overall, it’s all about growing the game of women’s basketball.”
Jackson State’s phenomenal season
Jackson State had an impressive season, ending with a 26-6 record and a perfect 21-0 in the SWAC. They ranked second in points per game (71.6) and points allowed (56.6). Known for their strong defense, they topped the charts in opponent field goal percentage (33.6%) and came in second in opponent three-point percentage (25.6%). The team excelled in rebounding, leading the conference with 43.4 rebounds per game. In the 2022 tournament, Reed and Jackson State put up a tough fight against LSU, even holding a lead in the fourth quarter before losing 83-77.
Even during the game, the Lady Tigers had standout moments. Jackson State’s Miya Crump displayed incredible hustle on defense early in the first half by blocking Paige Bueckers on a fast break. While Bueckers seemed to have a clear lane for a layup, Crump swiftly moved to block the shot, preventing it from going in. Despite the goaltending call due to the ball touching the backboard before Bueckers reached it, the impressive defensive effort garnered attention from the national audience, sparking admiration for her athleticism on Twitter.
Under the direction of Reed, the Lady Tigers will surely be poised to continue their stellar play and could find themselves back in the big dance next season.
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