Siedah Banks joined the Lady Jag coaching staff in during the summer of 2011 as a graduate assistant coach.
Banks is very familiar with the women’s basketball program at South Alabama as the Little Rock, Ark., native was a four-year letterwinner and three-year starter at the point guard position for the Lady Jags. During her four years at USA, Banks competed in 108 games, while starting 77 of those contests. For her career, Banks scored 685 points, pulled down 409 rebounds and dished out 341 assist, while leading the Jaguars to 73 wins, including 20-win seasons in each of her first two seasons. She ended her career ranked second on the program’s career free throw chart (.764)
Not only did she rank as one of the top point guards in the Sun Belt Conference in each of her final three seasons, but also nationally. As a senior, Banks not only led the league in assist-turnover ratio (2.3), but was seventh nationally in that same category after ranking 26th and 27th, respectively, as junior and sophomore. She also ranked in the top 10 in the Sun Belt in assists each of those same three seasons.
In her final collegiate season, Banks set career marks in points (256), points per game (8.5) assists (129, rebounding (157) and rebounds per game (5.2). She was also selected to the Dead River Classic all-tournament team.
As a junior, Banks returned to the court after suffering a knee injury midway through her sophomore season. Upon her return, she started all 31 games, led the team in assists (102) and ranked 26th nationally in assist/turnover ratio (1.91). She was one of the top free throw shooters in the Sun Belt that same season, ranking third as she knocked down 80 percent of her attempts at the charity stripe. That percentage ranks third-best for a single season at USA.
Off the court, Banks was a two-time Sun Belt Conference Sportsmanship nominee for women’s basketball and as a senior she was selected as NCAA Woman of the Year nominee at the Pete Tolbert Night of Champions. She was also a two-time SBC academic honor roll selection while at USA and as a senior, Banks was named to the league’s Commissioner’s List.
Banks arrived at South Alabama after a stellar prep career at Parkview High School in Little Rock, Ark., where she was member of three state championship teams. She led the Patriots to back-to-back Class 5A crowns as a freshman and sophomore and then closed out her career with a 6A title as a senior. As a freshman at PHS, Banks was named a Student Sports Freshman All-American and from her freshman through her junior season, Banks earned Street & Smith Honorable Mention All-American honors. She was also a three-time all-state selection as a freshman, sophomore and a senior.
Banks is a native of Little, Rock, Ark., and graduated in May, 2011 with a bachelor’s degree of science in exercise science.
