Jacey Brooks, whose 18 years of collegiate coaching experience includes five seasons as a successful head coach and eight total postseason appearances, will lead the Northern Illinois University women’s basketball program as the 11th head coach in program history, NIU Vice President and Director of Athletics and Recreation Sean T. Frazier announced.
“We are excited to welcome Jacey Brooks to NIU to lead the Huskie women’s basketball program,” Frazier said. “She brings great experience, a winning record as a head coach and a proven track record of recruiting student-athletes who succeed academically and athletically throughout her career. Her firm understanding of how to navigate the transfer portal, NIL and having connections to our region from her time at both Bowling Green and Buffalo will be invaluable as we prepare to make the transition to the Horizon League.”
NIU President Dr. Lisa Freeman extended her welcome to Brooks.
“It is my pleasure to welcome Jacey Brooks to Northern Illinois University as our new women’s basketball head coach,” Freeman said. “Her record of success as an assistant and as a head coach and her ability to connect with and lead student-athletes as they pursue their academic and athletic goals made her a great choice for NIU. I look forward to seeing the Huskies excel under her leadership.”
Brooks comes to NIU after two seasons as the associate head coach at Buffalo, helping the Bulls to 47 wins during that time. The Bulls played in the Mid-American Conference championship game in 2024 and the MAC semifinals in 2025. Buffalo has made back-to-back postseason WNIT appearances and will play in the 2025 tournament semifinals on Wednesday. Individually, Chellia Watson earned two First Team All-MAC honors and Kirsten Lewis-Williams was named the 2024 MAC Freshman of the Year and was a second team All-MAC honoree this year.
“I am incredibly excited and honored to become the next head women’s basketball coach at Northern Illinois University,” said Brooks. “I would like to thank President Dr. Lisa Freeman, Vice President and Director of Athletics Sean Frazier, and Senior Associate Athletic Director Chris Barker for entrusting me with the privilege of bringing this program back to prominence. I’m committed to developing these young women holistically and making a positive impact in the classroom, on the court, and in the community. We’re going to build a team that’s tough, resilient, and plays with heart. This is a dream come true, and I can’t wait to get to work. Go Huskies!”
From 2018-2023 Brooks was the head women’s basketball coach at SUNY Cortland. She compiled a 79-32 record in four seasons and led the Red Dragons to three NCAA Division III tournament berths. Cortland won at least 20 games in each of her last three seasons starting with a 22-7 record in 2019-20 that saw the Red Dragons reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Red Dragons won the SUNYAC regular season conference championship in 2022 and went 21-6 on the year as Brooks earned her second league coach of the year honor. Brooks led Cortland to the 2023 conference tournament championship as the Red Dragons reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Brooks amassed 11 seasons of Division I coaching experience before becoming the head coach at SUNY Cortland. She was an assistant at Bowling Green for five seasons from 2013-18. In her first season with the Falcons Bowling Green finished 30-5, won the MAC regular season title and reached the WNIT quarterfinals. Brooks started her coaching career as the director of basketball operations at St. Bonaventure in 2007, becoming an assistant coach in 2009. She spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Canisius before going to Bowling Green.
Originally from Machias, N.Y., Brooks graduated from Buffalo State in 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in health and wellness. In her four seasons for the Bengals Brooks earned two all-league selections and helped lead the team to three consecutive conference tournaments. Brooks is currently seventh all-time at Buffalo State in scoring with 1,219 career points. She earned her master’s degree in sports administration from Canisius in May 2012.
A press conference to introduce Brooks to the NIU community will be held at the NIU Convocation Center at a date to be announced. Full details will be announced later this week.
