Tia Jackson - Associate Head Coach - Women's Basketball Coaches (2024)

Tia Jackson rejoined the Duke women’s basketball staff as an assistant coach in July of 2020. She was elevated to associate head coach on July 1, 2022. Jackson is a 27-year coaching veteran with four years of head coaching experience.

During the 2022-23 season, Jackson aided the Blue Devils to a 26-7 overall record and 14-4 ACC record – the highest win total in a season and the most wins in ACC play since the 2016-17 and 2012-13 seasons, respectively. Duke also snapped a four-year NCAA Tournament hiatus as the squad earned a No. 3 seed and hosted the first and second rounds of the big dance.

One of the main architects of Duke’s stout defensive throughout the year, Jackson helped the Blue Devils boast the No. 3 scoring defense (51.0) and No. 10 field goal percentage defense (35.2) in the NCAA during the 2022-23 campaign, with the team holding each of its opponents below its season scoring average including 17 to 50 points or less. She also helped coach Celeste Taylor to ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors – just the fifth Blue Devil to be bestowed the defensive crown, Naismith Women’s Defensive Player of the Year Finalist honors as well as All-ACC First Team and All-Defensive Team accolades.

Jackson returned to Durham after helping the Miami Hurricanes to the NCAA Tournament in four of five seasons. This stretch for the Canes included an overall record of 109-53, four straight 20-plus win seasons and two WNBA Draft selections. The Hurricanes also advanced to the Round of 32 of the NCAA Tournament on their home court twice (2017 and 2019).

Two players that played under Jackson’s tutelage were drafted to the WNBA - Adrienne Motely (2017) and Beatrice Mompremier (2020). Additionally, Jackson aided five Hurricanes - forward/centers Erykah Davenport, Emese Hof and Mompremier along with guards Motley and Jessica Thomas - to six All-ACC accolades. Two others, guards Mydea Gray and Kelsey Marshall, garnered ACC All-Freshman Team distinction.

Jackson, who both played and coached in the Final Four, was the head coach at Washington from 2007-11. While with the Huskies, she signed a number of talented recruiting classes, including the 2008 recruiting haul that was ranked No. 11 in the nation.

Following the 2010-11 season, Jackson joined the Rutgers coaching staff and helped guide the Scarlet Knights to a trio of postseason appearances, including two trips to the NCAA Tournament. In 2014-15, her last year at Rutgers, the team advanced to the second round for the first time since 2011.

In each of Jackson’s first two years at Rutgers, the Scarlet Knights signed the nation’s third-ranked recruiting class.

In her first stint at Duke, Jackson helped land the No. 2 recruiting class in 2006 and No. 2 class in 2007. The Blue Devils won 31 contests in 2006 and advanced to the NCAA National Championship game. The following season, Duke became just the 14th team in NCAA history to register an undefeated regular season (29-0) and finished the year as the No. 1 ranked team in the final Associated Press poll.

Jackson also coached three Blue Devil All-America selections in Alison Bales, Monique Currie and Lindsey Harding during her two seasons in Durham. Duke featured three WNBA Draft selections in 2006 – Currie (No. 3), Mistie Bass (No. 21) and Jessica Foley (No. 38) – along with two selections in 2007 – Harding (No. 1) and Bales (No. 9).
Prior to her two-year stint at Duke, Jackson was an assistant coach at UCLA for five seasons, Stanford for one campaign and VCU for three years.

Jackson began her coaching career as an assistant at Virginia Commonwealth University, just one year after graduating from college. She worked for the Rams from 1996-99.

After her three seasons at VCU, Jackson spent one year as an assistant coach at Stanford University, working under another Hall of Fame coach, Tara VanDerveer, at one of the nation’s most tradition-rich programs. The Cardinal made the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Jackson’s lone season in Palo Alto, Calif.

Jackson then moved south in the Golden State and joined the staff at UCLA, where she was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. In five years with the Bruins, Jackson helped the program sign a pair of top-10 recruiting classes and ink four McDonald’s and/or WBCA All-Americans. UCLA made the NCAA Tournament in 2004, its first appearance in four years.

Originally from Salisbury, Md., Jackson scored 3,108 points in her career at Mardela Springs High School, before moving on to play for Hall of Fame coach C. Vivian Stringer at the University of Iowa.

The Hawkeyes finished in the top 25 four times during Jackson’s career and advanced to the Final Four in 1993, ending the season with a 27-4 record. She was named to the Mideast Regional All-Tournament team that year.

Jackson averaged 10.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game as a Hawkeye and graduated from Iowa in 1995. A two-time All-Big Ten Honorable Mention, Jackson still ranked in the top-25 all-time at Iowa in scoring, as well as No. 12 in steals, when hired at Miami. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in media studies and film, emphasizing in television production and editing.

Following the 1996-97 season at VCU, Jackson spent the summer playing professionally in the WNBA in its inaugural season. She was the ninth overall pick in the draft and played in 28 games that season for the Phoenix Mercury. The Mercury won the Western Conference Championship under head coach Cheryl Miller. Jackson averaged 2.8 points and 2.1 rebounds, but was unable to continue her career due to injury.