Following an extensive national search, Kansas City Athletics has announced Dionnah Jackson-Durrett as the head coach of Kansas City Women’s Basketball. Jackson-Durrett, a former first round WNBA pick and one of the most highly touted assistant coaches in the nation, served as the associate head coach at Texas over the past two seasons and has coached in five consecutive NCAA Elite Eights.
“I’m honored and ecstatic to be a part of the Kansas City Athletics family,” Jackson-Durrett said. “Throughout the process the energy has been amazing, and my decision developed organically. I’m supposed to be here, I feel it in my heart.”
A native of St. Louis, Jackson-Durrett has deep ties to basketball within Missouri and the Midwest at large. The 2001 Missouri High School Player of the Year put together an All-American career at Oklahoma before spending five years in the professional ranks. Over the past 12 years, she has made coaching stops at Mississippi State, George Mason and Southeast Missouri State, in addition to her time with the Longhorns.
“We are delighted to have Dionnah as a part of our Kansas City family,” Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Dr. Brandon Martin said. “Not only does she have impeccable integrity, her basketball acumen and coaching pedigree is unmatched. She is a phenomenal leader and teacher of the nuances of basketball, and a maven of life skill development and championing academic excellence. Dionnah will further elevate our departmental mantra of comprehensive excellence.”
No stranger to winning culture, Jackson-Durrett helped lead the Longhorns to 50 wins, a 2022 Big 12 Tournament Title and back-to-back NCAA Elite Eights in her two years as associate head coach. The Longhorns’ 2021 Elite Eight appearance was their first since 2016, and the 2022 appearance marked the first back-to-back Elite Eight showings since 1989-90. The Big 12 Tournament win was the program’s first since 2003.
Known for her ability as a talent developer and mentor, Jackson-Durrett made her mark on Texas’ guard play throughout her two seasons. This past season, each of the Longhorns’ top-four scorers played primarily from the guard position.
Highlighting Jackson-Durrett’s mentoring ability this year was freshman Rori Harmon, who was named Big 12 Freshman of the Year, as well as earning spots on the All-Big 12 Second Team, All-Defensive Team and All-Freshman Team. She averaged 11.4 points per game and broke the program’s freshman assist mark, notching AP All-America Honorable Mention, Big 12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player, ESPN W Player of the Week, NCBWA National Freshman of the Week and four-time Big 12 Freshman of the Week honors, and is a candidate for National Freshman of the Year.
“(Jackson-Durrett) will not only add to Kansas City’s athletic department on campus, but she and her family will be tremendous in the city and state,” Texas Head Coach Vic Schaefer said. “Dionnah understands the impact that a successful women’s basketball program can have on a university, a community and a state, and she will work tirelessly to make sure that happens. Kansas City has hit a home run in hiring Coach Jackson-Durrett.”
Jackson-Durrett also helped develop Joanne Allen-Taylor into a two-time All-Big 12 honoree and led Aliyah Matharu to her first All-Conference nomination after transferring from Mississippi State. Last year, in addition to Allen-Taylor’s All-Big 12 selection, guards Kyra Lambert and Celeste Taylor were named to All-Big 12 teams.
Prior to her time with Schaefer in Austin, Jackson-Durrett spent five years on his staff at Mississippi State, including one year as the program’s associate head coach. During her time with the Bulldogs, she worked directly with point guards. Under her direction, the team recorded the top-three single-season assist marks in program history, including the school record of 602 in 2017-18.
Additionally, the team earned back-to-back NCAA National Runner-up finishes in 2016-17 and 2017-18, an Elite Eight appearance in 2018-19 and a Sweet Sixteen showing in 2015-16.
“I’m so excited for the opportunity that Coach Jackson-Durrett will have to be Kansas City’s next head coach. She has been such an integral part of our success, both at Mississippi State and at the University of Texas,” Schaefer said. “Her knowledge and insight of the game, as well as her total involvement in our program has allowed us to play for National Championships and be in five-straight Elite Eights. KC’s student-athletes will be coached to reach their full potential, both on the court and in the classroom.”
While she was in Starkville, the Bulldogs ranked inside the top-25 nationally and led the SEC in assists three times, assists per game once and assist-to-turnover ratio twice. Jackson-Durrett coached and mentored two of the top point guards in Mississippi State history in Jazzmun Holmes and Morgan Willman, both of whom received All-America Honorable Mention honors from the Associated Press.
Jackson-Durrett was also a key mentor to Victoria Vivians, one of the most decorated players in Mississippi State history. Vivians was a four-time All-SEC player, including three selections for the All-SEC First Team. She was a two-time Naismith Player of the Year Semifinalist, two-time All-Final Four player and was named an AP First Team All-American in 2017-18.
In addition to Holmes, Willman and Vivians, Jackson-Durrett helped in the development of Myah Taylor and Anriel Howard. Taylor ranked eighth in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio during her sophomore season under Jackson-Durrett, averaging a team-high 4.6 assists per game. Howard transferred to Mississippi State for her senior season in 2018-19, earning First Team All-SEC and SEC All-Tournament Team honors.
Jackson-Durrett also flexed her recruiting prowess during her time with the Bulldogs, helping notch the program’s best-ever recruiting class, and ESPN’s sixth-best in the nation, in 2019.
From 2013-15, Jackson-Durrett was an assistant coach at George Mason, working with the Patriots’ offense and guards. The Patriots posted a five-win improvement from her first-to-second year, and guard Taylor Brown left as the school’s third-leading scorer all-time, averaging 20.1 points per game in her two seasons under Jackson-Durrett’s tutelage.
Jackson-Durrett got her coaching start at Southeast Missouri State from 2010-13, helping Kara Wright to OVC All-Newcomer Team honors and guiding Bianca Beck to an overseas professional contract.
She spent five years playing professional basketball, beginning as a first-round selection by the Detroit Shock in the 2005 WNBA Draft. In 2007, she was picked up by the Chicago Sky. In addition to her time in the WNBA, she played for Israel’s Maccabi Tel Kabir, also spending time in Switzerland and Greece.
During her collegiate career at Oklahoma, Jackson-Durrett played 131 games, averaging 11.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.1 steals per game. She garnered Honorable Mention All-American honors as well as being named a finalist for the Wade and Naismith National Player of the Year awards.
“Kansas City is getting a star! Dionnah is prepared, hungry and passionate,” Former Oklahoma Women’s Basketball Head Coach and Women’s Basketball Hall of Famer Sheri Coale said. “She has a vision for both building champions and winning championships. She will be a role model and a leader, not just for her team, but for the university and the community as well. What a great day for Roo Women’s Basketball!”
She wrapped up her career as one of the most decorated players in program history, finishing in the top-10 in 17 of OU’s 22 all-time records lists. She left the school ranked second in assists (606), third in steals (265), fourth in rebounds (829), fifth in blocks (64) and ninth in scoring (1,491).
Jackson-Durrett was a three-time All-Big 12 player, earning first team honors in her senior year after landing second team selections during her sophomore and junior seasons. As a junior, she was named the Big 12 Tournament MVP, averaging 17.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists while leading the Sooners to a Big 12 tournament title.
In addition to winning a pair of Big 12 titles, the three-year starter and three-year captain led Oklahoma to the NCAA Tournament all four years, including the program’s first Final Four and national runner-up finish as a freshman.
During her four years at Parkway High School in St. Louis, Jackson-Durrett was a two-time all-state selection, leading the school to a 102-12 record.
Jackson-Durrett earned her bachelor’s degree in mass communication from Oklahoma in 2005 and a master’s in higher education administration from Southeast Missouri State in 2013. She is married to Jon Durrett, and has one daughter, Laila Renee.
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