University of Illinois women’s basketball head coach Nancy Fahey announced Monday (April 13) the addition of assistant coach Vernette Skeete to the Fighting Illini coaching staff.
“We are excited that Coach Vernette Skeete is joining the Fighting Illini women’s basketball program,” said Fahey. “Vernette is a proven winner at top-25 programs Marquette and Miami where she was instrumental in the rebuild of both programs. Her impact here will be felt immediately.
“Energetic, passionate, and a true student of the game, Vernette will be key to the development of our backcourt players. She is a person of integrity and strong work ethic, and as an elite recruiter, she is a perfect fit for our program.”
Skeete comes to Illinois after a six-year stint as an assistant coach at Marquette where she worked alongside recent Illini hire Scott Merritt and helped lead the Golden Eagles to an era of unprecedented success in the program’s history.
“With great excitement and admiration, I’m overly ecstatic for the opportunity to join Coach Fahey and the Fighting Illini,” said Skeete. “Coach Fahey’s passion and vision for the program were a breath of fresh air and ignited an excitement in me that I could not pass up.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to learn and grow under a championship minded coach and to be able to contribute my value and energy to this tradition-filled community.”
During her time at Marquette, Skeete was crucial in the Golden Eagles’ rise to national prominence. The program experienced the most successful run in its history during her tenure, reaching as high as No. 8 in the AP Poll in 2019 – the highest ranking in program history. Skeete helped the team to three Big East Championships, including the 2017 tournament title and 2018 and 2019 regular-season championships, also the first for the program.
From 2016-17 through the 2019-20 seasons, Marquette notched four consecutive 20-win seasons, including a program-record 27 victories in 2018-19. The Golden Eagles reached three straight NCAA Tournaments and were poised for an at-large bid again in 2020 prior to the tournament’s cancellation.
Skeete was vital in the development of one of the most successful classes in Marquette history as Allazia Blockton, Sandra Dahling, Erika Davenport, Natisha Hiedeman, Danielle King, and Amani Wilborn all graduated with more than 8,000 combined points scored, making the Golden Eagles the only Division I program at the time with five 1,300-point scorers on the floor. Blockton (2018) and Natisha Hiedeman (2019) captured back-to-back Big East Player of the Year honors for MU.
Prior to Marquette, Skeete spent two seasons (2012-14) as the head coach at Gulf Coast State College in Panama City, Fla. She compiled a record of 49-13 and was named the 2012-13 NJCAA Region 8 Coach of the Year, Panhandle Conference Coach of the Year, and Florida College System Activities Association Coach of the Year after leading her squad to the 2013 conference and region championships, and a fourth-place finish in the NJCAA National Tournament.
Skeete’s career at the Division I level began with three seasons (2009-12) at Miami, including one year as coordinator of basketball operations and two seasons as an assistant coach. During her tenure, the Hurricanes became a leader in the ACC, winning the league title in 2010-11. The program rose to a top-10 national ranking during the 2011-12 season and earned consecutive No. 3 seeds in the 2011 and 2012 NCAA Tournaments.
Before coaching at Miami, Skeete spent the 2008-09 season at Northwest Florida State College in Destin, Fla., as well as the previous five seasons with the Essence Girls Basketball Club Program, and the 2005-08 seasons at her alma mater, Malone (Fla.) High School, where she was named MVP of the 2001 FHSAA State Championship as a senior.
Skeete began her collegiate playing career at Gulf Coast State where she led the Commodores to a 75-1 record, back-to-back conference and region titles, and the 2003 NJCAA National Championship. She went on to play two seasons at Alcorn State, helping the Braves to a SWAC championship and NCAA Tournament appearance as a senior, before earning her degree in psychology in 2005.
Kirkland Takes on New Role
Skeete’s hire opens up the opportunity for longtime Illini Tianna Kirkland to become the program’s Head Coordinator of Recruiting and Director of Student-Athlete Development.
“I am excited for Coach Kirkland’s new role,” said Fahey. “Tianna’s ability to relate to our student-athletes is unique and special, and her experience as our recruiting coordinator will be key as we move our program forward.”
The move allows Kirkland, who enters her ninth season at Illinois in 2020-21, to shift into her new position with a dual focus on student-athlete development and the coordination of recruiting activities for the program.
“I am extremely excited and grateful for this opportunity,” said Kirkland. “I am eager for the growth and innovation this new position will create in our recruiting efforts as my increased presence on campus will allow me to oversee the entire spectrum and flow of our recruiting. This move will also allow me to focus more on impactful relationships with and the development of our current student-athletes.
“I am thankful to Coach Fahey and the athletic department for creating a position that will allow me the amazing opportunity to balance the ever-growing demands of being a mother, and a role model for our team, and to remain entrenched in recruiting. I am extremely excited about my new role and the future of our Illini women’s basketball program.”
