Oregon women’s basketball head coach Kelly Graves added a familiar face to his staff on Thursday, announcing the hiring of Jackie Nared Hairston as an assistant coach.
Oregon’s director of creativity and video during the 2017-18 season, Nared Hairston returns to Eugene after spending the last two seasons as an assistant coach at Arizona, where she helped lead the Wildcats to the 2021 national championship game.
“We are very excited to welcome Jackie back to Oregon,” said Graves. “She brings a championship mindset and a strong understanding of both our program and the Pac-12. She is one of the nation’s best recruiters, and her ability to teach and build relationships with student-athletes will be a tremendous asset to our staff.”
Prior to her move to Tucson, Nared Hairston worked as an assistant coach at Washington State for the 2018-19 season after helping Oregon reach the Elite Eight in 2017-18. She also spent two seasons (2014-16) at Washington as director of player development, going to the Final Four in 2016.
“I am thrilled to return to Oregon,” said Nared Hairston, “where I have the privilege of working alongside Coach Graves. He has been an incredible mentor and is a proven winner. I look forward to contributing to the continued success of this elite program, and playing a key role in developing these outstanding young women both on and off the court.”
Nared Hairston has played a key role in Arizona’s recent success, helping the Wildcats to a 21-6 overall record and the first Final Four and NCAA title game appearances in program history this past season. She was crucial in the skill development of Arizona’s guards, including 2021 Pac-12 player of the year and two-time defensive player of the year Aari McDonald.
An elite recruiter, Nared Hairston helped Arizona sign two-time Gatorade North Dakota state player of the year Lauren Ware, a top-25 recruit by ESPN. She also played a big role in bringing in transfers such as Bendu Yeaney and Trinity Baptiste, the 2020 ACC sixth player of the year.
A 2014 graduate from St. Mary’s, Nared Hairston was a two-time first-team all-WCC selection for the Gaels. She led the league in scoring in each of her final two seasons, recording the sixth-best scoring season in WCC history with 21.8 points per game as a senior.
Nared Hairston spent two seasons on Washington’s staff after graduating, and then played professionally overseas in 2016-17 in Riva San Vitale, Switzerland, and Waregem, Belgium. She was named guard of the year and also earned first-team all-league recognition.
Nared Hairston and her husband, Josh, were married in August 2020.
