Brenita Jackson has a penchant for building student-athletes into winners. Both on and off the court.
That was clearly apparent over the last two years at Texas Wesleyan where she inherited a one-win team and immediately won big. Under her guidance, the Rams won 52 games advancing to the NAIA national tournament in each of the last two seasons, while reaching the Round of 16 last spring.
Jackson is now presented with a similar task at Midwestern State.
She was named the 12th coach of the Mustangs’ women’s basketball program Friday afternoon.
“Brenita is a proven winner, great motivator, highly regarded in the basketball community, and an exceptional person,” MSU Director of Athletics Kyle Williams said. “It became clear to us that her vision and love for the Mustangs was what we were looking for. After an extremely competitive search process, I am very excited for the future of MSU women’s basketball.”
Jackson takes over a program which posted a 6-22 record last season, finishing 16th in the Lone Star Conference.
“I feel extremely blessed to be a part of the Mustang Family,” Jackson said. “I want to thank Director of Athletics Kyle Williams and President Keith Lamb for the opportunity to lead the MSU Women’s Basketball team into the future. Their vision for both the athletic department and the University is exciting to join and now is the right time. I also want to thank my Athletic Director Ricky Dotson and President Fred Slabach at Texas Wesleyan University for allowing me to grow under their leadership and for their belief in me as a coach. I am ready to get to Wichita Falls, roll up my sleeves and get to work.”
Jackson was a WBCA NAIA National Coach of the Year finalist this season after directing the Rams to a 27-6 record and to a Sooner Athletic Conference regular season title with a 19-3 league record. Led by NAIA All-Americans Kertisa Amos and Makayla Coy, Texas Wesleyan rolled into the third round of the NAIA national tournament.
The run represented the deepest in program history for Texas Wesleyan, which advanced to the NAIA national tournament in both Jackson’s seasons at the helm after qualifying for the tournament twice previously in program history.
Jackson also garnered Sooner Athletic Conference Coach of the Year accolades following both of her seasons in Fort Worth.
She has been a proven winner at each step of her coaching career. Jackson first led Lon Morris to a program-record 19 wins after she was elevated to head coach for the 2010-11 season. That year, she coached a pair of All Americans and finished as region runner-up.
Then, in two seasons at San Jacinto College, Jackson led the Gators to their first national ranking in program history reaching as high as No. 9. Jackson was named NJCAA Region 14 Coach of the Year, while was also recognized by the Houston Chronicle for producing, “A winning team on the court and in life.”
From there, Jackson moved to NCAA Division I McNeese State as an assistant coach. She played a key role in helping the Cowgirls to a 20-win season and an appearance in the Women’s Basketball Invitational.
At each of her stops, Jackson has consistently graduated student-athletes, while posting high team grade-point averages.
Prior to arriving at Texas Wesleyan, Jackson spent a season as an assistant coach at Little Elm High School, but remained in the profession by teaming with her husband, Kevin, to build the KBJ Academy offering consulting, basketball skills training, camps, and team building retreats.
Jackson played collegiate basketball at Southeastern Louisiana helping the Lions to Southland Conference East Division title in 2006-07 earning all-conference and all-academic honors as a senior. She played her first two season at Lon Morris.
Jackson earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from Southeastern Louisiana in 2007 and master’s degree in coaching and athletic administration from Concordia-Irvine in 2012.
She and her husband, Kevin, are proud parents of one daughter, Kylee.
Photo Courtesy MSU Athletics
https://msumustangs.com/news/2023/4/14/womens-basketball-brenita-jackson-hired-to-lead-mustangs.aspx
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