Yolisha Jackson was was named the 10th women’s basketball Head Coach in program history, Athletic Director Dr. Joel Erdmann announced March 24, 2023.
Jackson returns to South Alabama after spending the last three seasons at the University of South Florida as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. Prior to USF, Jackson spent seven years at South Alabama as an assistant coach, including the 2019-20 campaign as associate head coach.
During her time as an assistant at South Florida, she was responsible for working with the program’s centers and power forwards. The Bulls were 70-20 during Jackson’s three years on staff, including winning the American Athletic Conference Tournament in 2020-21, in addition to trips to the NCAA Tournament all three years of her tenure.
Jackson was responsible for the development of South Florida’s Bethy Mununga, a Katrina McClain Award Candidate for the nation’s top power forward, during the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons. During her time at USF, Mununga totaled just shy of 1,000 rebounds, which put her third on the school’s all-time rebounding list.
During her time in Mobile, Jackson helped guide the Jaguars to two 20-win seasons and two national postseason appearances – the Women’s National Invitation Tournament in 2019 and the Women’s Basketball Invitational in 2018. Including helping the team find success, Jackson helped develop Antionette Lewis and Chyna Ellis, two of the conference’s top post players.
Ellis, who was named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2015-16 and again in 2017-18, totaled 107 blocks during the 2017-8 campaign. Ellis also became the conference’s all-time blocks leader that same year.
Lewis led the Sun Belt in double-doubles in the 2019-20 year, averaging 13.2 points and 10.1 rebounds on the year, earning her All-Sun Belt second-team honors.
Prior to South Alabama, Jackson spent three years at the Air Force Academy after five years at Kennesaw State.
In her three seasons at Air Force, Jackson served as the recruiting coordinator and was primarily responsible for the Falcons’ post players. In her first season at the Academy in 2010-11, Jackson helped the program to the second-most conference wins in its Division-I history after the program had not won a Mountain West Conference game the previous two seasons.
Jackson served as the recruiting coordinator for Kennesaw State during her final three seasons, and helped KSU’s transition to Division I from Division II, and during the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons, The Lady Owl program captured its most wins in its Division I history (15).
Her 2009 recruiting class ranked as the top recruiting class in the Atlantic Sun, and her following class consisted of future unanimous A-Sun Freshman of the Year Taylor Mills. Jackson was also responsible for recruiting and coaching Atlantic Sun Player of the Year Britteny Henderson (2007-08) and A-Sun all-freshman selections Rosetta Hollis (2006-07), Brandi Jones (2009-10) and Sametria Gideon (2009-10).
During the 2005-06 season, Jackson coached all-Atlantic Sun selection Shavonder Clarke, a junior-college transfer who scored over 1,000 points in two years at KSU. In 2007-08, she coached Atlantic Sun Defensive Player of the Year Greteya Kelley.
Jackson joined the coaching ranks after a successful collegiate career at Jacksonville University, where she was the second player in JU history to score over 1,000 points for her career, finishing with 1,070 points. She also left the Dolphins as the single-season record holder for points per game, free throws made and free throws attempted, as well as career free throws made (325). Jackson was an Atlantic Sun academic all-conference selection and two-time team MVP.
Jackson, a native of Clarksville, Tenn., received her bachelor’s degree from Jacksonville in physical education in 2004 and her master’s of science degree from South Alabama in 2018. She is the daughter of Austin Peay State Hall of Famer Howard Jackson.
Jackson is the proud mother of her daughter, Zoey, born in April of 2021.
