Thursday afternoon, under the direction of third-year head coach Tamika Louis, the Delaware State women’s basketball program announced the addition of Lou Hamilton and Jaresha Obey to the Lady Hornets coaching staff.
Spending the last two seasons at Grambling State, including last year as the interim head coach, Hamilton will serve as the recruiting coordinator and assistant coach.
For Louis, she is extremely happy to have Hamilton on board.
“He brings a wealth of coaching experience and HBCU knowledge as an interim head coach at Grambling State and the great teams he helped coach and assemble at North Carolina A&T,” said Louis. “He is one of the top recruiters in the nation, as his work ethic and recruiting ties have been proven time and time again to be extremely beneficial.”
Obey, meanwhile, will serve as an assistant coach with the Lady Hornets. Coming over from Rochester College (Mich.), she was an assistant coach women’s basketball coach and admissions recruiter. Additionally, Obey implemented and ran the summer conditioning program for student-athletes, while also serving as the defensive coordinator for both teams and recruiting coordinator for the freshman and sophomore women’s basketball development team.
“Jaresha is a very energetic and disciplined individual who will do a great job of relating to our players and being a great resource for them,” stated Louis. “With her military background, coaching and playing experience, she will make an immediate impact with our program.”
Below are full bios on Hamilton and Obey:
Previously, Hamilton spent two seasons at Grambling State as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator under Patricia Cage-Bibbs in his first year, followed by an interim head coaching stint in year two. With the Tigers, he developed Joanna Miller, who went on to earn First Team All-SWAC and All-SWAC Tournament Team honors in 2012-13, in addition to being named the conference’s Newcomer of the Year. As the head coach, GSU jumped from ninth in the conference standings in year one to seventh the following season with an 11-20 (7-11 SWAC) mark.
Hamilton is also no stranger to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. For two seasons (2010-11, 2011-12), he served under Cage-Bibbs at North Carolina A&T as the practice and recruiting coordinator. During his stop as an Aggie, Hamilton developed multiple players such as Mikala Scott (MEAC All-Rookie Team, 2011-12), Jalessa Sams (Second Team All-MEAC, 2011-12), JaQuayla Scott (First Team All-MEAC, 2011-12) and Eboni Ross (MEAC Rookie of the Year, 2012-13).
Before entering the college ranks, Hamilton coached at the high school level and with multiple AAU and youth league organizations.
A native of Greenville, S.C., Hamilton played football collegiately at Fayetteville State and graduated in 1995 with a degree in Business Administration. Family wise, he has two sons, Jamir and Jeremiah.
Before coming to Delaware State, Obey spent four years at Rochester College (Mich.), where she was an assistant coach women’s basketball coach and admissions recruiter.
Throughout her tenure with the Warriors, she spearheaded a defensive attack that ranked third in the NAIA in points allowed per game and 10th in field goal percentage during her first season. As the recruiting coordinator, meanwhile, Obey inked over 15 student-athletes, in addition to developing notable players such as Ke’ala Ka’aikala during her first two seasons, who earned First Team All-American Honors (USCAA). Obey also helped the Warriors to one national championship appearance and two Final Four appearances (USCAA).
Her experience also includes spending two seasons coaching AAU for Greg Grant Basketball Club (Mich.), whereas interning for the Palace of Auburn Hills, home of the NBA’s Detroit Pistons, doing brand marketing, organizing advertising promotions and athletic programs for the youth and the Year-Round Hoops Program.
Educationally, Obey received her bachelor’s degree in Sports Management in 2007 from Rochester College, as she is currently in the process of obtaining her master’s degree in Sports Management from Wayne State University. Obey also serves as a Commissioned Officer in the Air Force (Air National Guard).
Family wise, she has three siblings in Moni (brother), Paulus II (brother) and Javae (sister), while her parents are Janel and Paulus.
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