Valpo women’s basketball head coach Courtney Boyd continues to round out her coaching staff with two more additions, as Jasmine Hackett joins the Beacons as an assistant coach and Skylar Culbertson comes to Valpo to serve as special assistant to the head coach.
Hackett comes to Valpo after spending the 2024-25 campaign as an assistant coach at Northern Illinois, where she helped guide a pair of Mid-American Conference postseason award winners. Prior to that, she spent one season on staff as an assistant coach at William Jewell in 2023-24 and served as a graduate assistant at Mount Mercy in 2022-23.
Hackett got her start in coaching in the travel basketball ranks, spending four years as a coach for the All Iowa Attack in the Nike EYBL. She played collegiately at the University of Sioux Falls, graduating in 2020.
“Jasmine brings a level of enthusiasm that we were looking for in this position,” Boyd said. “She has been a part of programs at multiple levels and understands the work it takes to get the best out of each player. Her passion for player development and bringing a new outlook on analytics to the staff will fill a tremendous void for us. I am looking forward to getting Jas to Valpo and on the court with the team!”
Culbertson is no stranger to working with Boyd, as she played for Boyd on the NAIA national champions at Clarke and coached alongside her the last two years as a graduate assistant at Quincy, helping to lead the Hawks to a 25-8 record in 2024-25 and their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2016.
Culbertson was a standout on the hardwood at Clarke, starting at point guard each of her final four seasons. She holds program career records for assists and 3-point percentage and was a two-time All-Conference honoree. Over her five years, the Pride won 135 games — culminating with the program’s national championship run in 2023.
“Skylar has always understood the importance of the ‘behind the scenes’ to keep things moving towards success,” Boyd said. “When she played for me, she put in the work on her own time to get her team to the Championship level and she will continue to use that approach as we get this program headed towards those same goals. Sky has the ability to gain trust early with the student-athletes and that will help this program tremendously, going forward!”
