Madonna University athletics director Scott Kennell has announced that Southfield native Jaresha Obey has been named the next head coach of Madonna women’s basketball.
“We have the pieces in place to have a very successful program and we believe Jaresha can take us where we want to be,” said Kennell. “She has experience across all levels of basketball and we feel her connections to the Metro Detroit area will be an asset as she builds a championship program.”
“I am extremely honored to have been chosen to join the Madonna family,” said Obey. “Madonna’s academic environment is one I’m proud to join. I am grateful to President Michael Grandillo and Athletic Director Scott Kennell for their faith in my ability to step into a leadership role for this program and I look forward to creating an environment where student athletes can cultivate success in every area of their lives.”
A commissioned officer in the Air National Guard for eight years, Obey comes to Madonna with 12 years of professional military service and 12 years coaching at various levels including a stint as an NCAA Division I Interim Head Coach.
When asked what fans can expect from her teams, Obey said “Our student-athletes will compete on the court and in the classroom, connect with their surrounding community through service and care, and commit to playing a disciplined, fundamentally sound, and exciting game of basketball every time we set foot on the court.”
Her most recent coaching stop was at Wayne State University where she was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator responsible for all recruiting efforts, which included All-state and Michigan Top 100 players. As the post coach, all returning post players increased their averages in all significant categories.
Prior to her time at WSU, Obey spent four seasons at the University of District of Columbia where she was the top assistant coach. She oversaw the team’s academics which earned a 3.3 GPA. She also spent time coaching guards and posts and helped to develop the 2017-18 Rookie of the Year. .
She was an assistant and interim head coach at Delaware State University and began her career at Rochester University where she was the top assistant and head JV coach for six seasons.
Obey owns a Bachelors from Rochester and a Master of Sports Administration from Wayne State. She is currently serving out her most recent term of service in the Air National Guard in Washington, D.C.
