Georgetown University Women’s Basketball Head Coach Natasha Adair announced the hiring of James Howard as the associate head coach for the Hoyas. Howard returns to the Hilltop after serving as an assistant coach for the Blue & Gray during the 1997-98 season. He will assist Adair in all facets of the program and will focus on the defensive side of the ball.
“I’m honored and excited to have Coach Howard back on the Hilltop and, more importantly, back home,” said Adair. “Jimmy is a D.C. native who is valued as one of the best in the business. He’s a 28-year veteran of the game who will bring experience, stability and a wealth of knowledge to our program.”
Howard comes to Georgetown from Bethune-Cookman University where he spent four seasons including the last three as the associate head coach. The Wildcats have had 10 or more wins every season and appeared in three MEAC Tournaments winning at least one game in the past two.
The Washington, D.C., native began as the recruiting coordinator and helped bring in two-time All-MEAC honoree, Kailyn Williams, who was named First Team All-MEAC a season ago.
At the end of the 2013-14 season, Howard took the helm for Head Coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis when she went on maternity leave. During that span, he coached the Wildcats to a 4-5 record including a MEAC Tournament victory.
Prior to Bethune-Cookan, Howard was the recruiting coordinator and associate head coach at Howard University under former Hoya Niki Reid Geckeler. He went to Howard when Reid Geckeler got the job in 2008 and was there for three seasons moving into the role of associate head coach during the 2010-11 season. He also coached during Reid Geckeler’s maternity leave and helped the Bison improve each year he was on campus.
Howard began his coaching career in the men’s game as a student assistant coach at Greensboro College for two seasons (1997-99). He then served as an assistant coach at Wesley College before switching to the women’s game in 1991.
Howard was the head women’s basketball coach at Wesley from 1991-97 where he was 75-69 over six seasons. Following his one-year stint at Georgetown, he served as the director of basketball operations (1998-99) at the University of Maryland before being promoted to assistant coach (1999-2000).
In 2000, he moved on to George Mason University where he was an assistant coach/recruiting coordinator for seven seasons. Howard spent one season (2007-08) at Delaware State before returning to the District to coach at Howard.
Howard is a member of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association and the Black Coaches Association. He was chosen by the NBA to do a coaches clinic in Bermuda and founded the first chapter of Future Farmers of America in Washington, D.C.
He received his bachelor’s degree from Greensboro College in 1991. Howard has two grown sons, Marco and Michael.
“I have known for quite a while what a great place Georgetown is and I am so excited and grateful to have the opportunity to join Natasha’s staff and to be a part of the Hoya family,” said Howard. “That is a key word, family. The one thing I have found right off the bat is a close-knit group, not only of coaches, but of administrators and faculty here at Georgetown.”
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