It's 'Unfinished Business' In The SWAC For Jackson State's Tomekia Reed And Lady Tigers
HOUSTON — During SWAC Women's Basketball Media Day, Jackson State Tigers' head coach Tomekia Reed eagerly anticipated the start of league play. "I think our conference is at a great competitive place right now," Reed said. "A lot of our coaches are bringing in junior college players. A lot of our coaches are now bringing in transfer portal players, which has given us a lot of experience on the floor."
The Lady Tigers opened the season with winning five games and falling once. Since then, Jackson State has lost five consecutive games to Power 4 programs like Kansas State, Oregon State, Mississippi State, Miami, and Texas. Coach Reed and staff hope to end the streak against the Lady Braves from Alcorn State as they open SWAC conference action.
Jackson State Women's Basketball Head Coach Tomekia Reed; Credit - Jackson State Athletics
"I'm extremely excited for conference play," Coach Reed told HBCU Legends. "We had a tough preseason of top-ranked teams and went through bouts of forming chemistry. I'm really excited about how competitive the conference will be this year. This is the time we work hard for. It's Go Time!"
The Lady Tigers have won four consecutive SWAC regular-season titles and made NCAA tournament appearances in 2021 and 2022.
Last season, the Lady Tigers fell to the Lady Jaguars on a buzzer-beater in the semifinals of the 2023 SWAC Women's Basketball Tournament. They hope to return with a fury this year with new leaders hoping to reclaim the tournament championship and NCAA playoff berth.
Ti'lan Boler, 2023-24 SWAC Preseason Player of the Year, is averaging 10.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in 22.9 minutes per contest. The other leading scorers are Miya Crump (9.6 PPG), Daphane White (9.6 PPG), and Angel Jackson (8.2 PPG).
Jackson State (5-6) will host Alcorn State (2-9) at 1 PM ET inside Williams Athletic and Assembly Center on Saturday, Jan. 6. Head Coach Tomekia Reed is in her sixth season at Jackson State, posting a 104-51 record.
HBCU Legends asked Coach Reed if she felt the Lady Tigers have "unfinished business." She definitively replied, "Yes."