University of Dayton Vice President and Director of Athletics Neil Sullivan has announced that Tamika Williams-Jeter will be the next head women’s basketball coach for the Flyers.
Williams-Jeter has been successful at every level of basketball, both as a player and as a coach. From a stellar playing career at the top levels of high school, college, and professionally, to coaching stops at Division I powerhouses such as Kansas, Kentucky, Penn State, and Ohio State, and head coaching experience at Wittenberg and with the India National Team, she has been a winner everywhere she goes. Williams-Jeter has helped advance the game for women athletes and coaches, both domestically and internationally.
“I am delighted to welcome Tamika Williams-Jeter and her family to the University of Dayton,” said Sullivan. “She is a proven winner and teacher of the game who has a distinctive personal impact on those around her. She has successful experience coaching, recruiting and playing basketball at every level, and has done it with integrity. Her core values, combined with her basketball acumen, led us to this decision. Our staff looks forward to partnering with her on advancing not only women’s basketball, but the University of Dayton’s impact on the community.”
“Dayton represents my family, my foundation, and my heart,” said Williams-Jeter. “The University of Dayton is a stellar academic institution immersed in a vibrant community where excellence is a standard. I am excited and honored to have the opportunity to lead this program full of phenomenal young women. I am grateful to President Spina, Neil Sullivan, and (Senior Associate A.D.) Angie Petrovic for giving me the opportunity to continue to guide UD women’s basketball to greatness. Lastly, I want to thank my husband, Richard Jeter, for allowing me to bring my sons back to the city that made me. Go Flyers!”
Williams-Jeter joins the Flyers from Wittenberg University where she has served as a head coach last season, leading the Tigers to an 18-8 record overall, a NCAC Tournament Championship, and the 2022 NCAA Division III Tournament. During the season, Wittenberg rode a 10-game winning streak to the conference championship which included a win over 10th-ranked DePauw. It was their first national tournament appearance since 2014-15.
Prior to her time at Wittenberg, Williams-Jeter had assistant coaching stints at prominent Division I programs such as Ohio State, Penn State, Kentucky, and Kansas. She helped lead those programs to eight NCAA Division I Tournaments and 11 postseason season appearances overall.
I join Neil and the Athletics Department in welcoming Coach Williams Jeter and her family to the UD Community,” said UD president Dr. Eric Spina. “We are thrilled to have Tamika join UD, where her quality as a person, her values and integrity, and her caring nature will make her a leader across campus and in the Dayton community.”
Coming out of high school at nearby Chaminade-Julienne, Williams-Jeter was the No. 1 recruit in the nation and two-time Ohio Player of the Year. The former forward was named Ohio Miss Basketball and led the Eagles to their first ever Final Four appearance. A highly sought-after recruit and arguably the best women’s basketball player to ever come out of Dayton, Williams-Jeter went on to UConn as part of the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation in 1998.
Collegiately, Williams-Jeter had a Ring of Honor playing career at the University of Connecticut where she won two national championships in 2000 and 2002. She earned National Freshman of the Year honors from The Sporting News and was Big East Rookie of the Year. She went on to be named Most Outstanding Performer at the 2000 Big East Tournament en route to her first national title and received All-America Honorable Mention accolades as part of her second championship in 2002. Williams-Jeter was a Naismith Player of the Year candidate her senior season as well. Her career field goal percentage of 70.3 percent is the current NCAA Division I record.
While at UConn, she served as the president of the Huskies’ student-athlete advisory committee.
Williams-Jeter went into coaching after playing professionally for seven seasons in the WNBA. She was selected in the 2002 WNBA Draft with the No. 6 overall pick by the Minnesota Lynx and earned WNBA All-Rookie team honors her first year. She finished with over 1,400 points and 1,100 rebounds in her career, and set a WNBA single-season field goal accuracy record in 2003 at 66.8 percent that still stands today.
Williams-Jeter earned her bachelor’s degree from UConn in interpersonal communication. She and her husband Richard and have two sons, R.J. and Jojo.
Williams-Jeter takes over a Dayton program coming off a 2021-22 regular season Atlantic 10 Championship. The Flyers finished 26-6 with a win over DePaul in the NCAA Tournament. Dayton has reached the postseason for 15 consecutive seasons.
Photo Courtesy Dayton Athletics
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