Indiana University Athletics
Indiana Names Felisha Legette-Jack Head Women's Basketball Coach
4/19/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
April 19, 2006
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Felisha Legette-Jack, who has served on two USA Basketball gold medal-winning coaching staffs and owns 15 years of Division I college coaching experience, including assistant stops at Michigan State, Syracuse and Boston College and most recently the last four years as the head coach at Hofstra University, has been named the eighth head women's basketball coach at Indiana University, IU Athletics Director Rick Greenspan announced on April 19. Legette-Jack arrives in Bloomington after directing Hofstra to a 19-12 overall record and 12-6 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) mark in 2005-06, culminating in a Women's National Invitation Tournament appearance.
Legette-Jack is well-respected throughout college basketball for her team's success both on the court and in the classroom. Thus, IU President Dr. Adam W. Herbert believes that she is an ideal fit for the Hoosier program.
"Coach Jack brings to IU all the traits we were seeking in a coach. I am extremely impressed with her values, coaching experience, style of team play, philosophy of interaction with student-athletes, academic values and teaching philosophy," Herbert said. "She was an outstanding player at Syracuse University. She knows what it takes to be successful in the highly competitive Big Ten. As the head coach at Hofstra, she has consistently led her teams to higher levels of athletic and academic performance. In short, she is a strong leader who will serve IU well as we build a national-class women's basketball program. I believe that Coach Jack will emerge as one of the best coaches in the Big Ten. Once again, Rick Greenspan has done an outstanding job in identifying an excellent addition to our athletics department coaching staff."
Greenspan said that Legette-Jack's credentials immediately stood out among a talented pool of applicants, and testimonials from some of the nation's top coaches only reaffirmed that status.
"Felisha has worked her way up through the coaching ranks in two of the best leagues in the country - the Big East and the Big Ten. Everyone that we talked to had nothing but great things to say about her," Greenspan said. "She also has been a part of two gold medal-winning USA Basketball teams, where she worked under coaches like (Duke's) Gail Goestenkors and (Ohio State's) Jim Foster. Her teams are proven winners in athletics and academics, and she has a passion for recruiting and building a highly-successful program."
Legette-Jack is well-versed in the competitive Big Ten Conference, and she looks forward to building the Hoosiers into a perennial league and postseason tournament contender.
"This is truly a wonderful opportunity for my family and myself," Legette-Jack said. "I have always had big dreams, but sometimes those dreams stop. Then there are blessings that come bigger than dreams, and this is certainly one of those times. I would like to thank President Herbert and Rick Greenspan for giving me this opportunity to lead Indiana Women's Basketball to, hopefully, a championship level.
"My thought process has always been to push the ball up the floor," Legette-Jack said. "(Michigan State) Coach (Joanne P.) McCallie had a big influence on me defensively, but it also is important to spread the floor offensively."
Legette-Jack speaks from experience, as she guided Hofstra to one of its best seasons in school history in 2005-06. The Pride's 19 victories are the second-best in school history, and the 12 league triumphs tied a school record. In addition to the team success, Hofstra ranked among the CAA's top three in scoring offense (second, 69.5 ppg), field goal percentage defense (.379), rebounding offense (second, 43.0), rebounding margin (third, +3.9), assists per game (second, 16.0), steals (second, 11.03), offensive rebounds (second, 16.73), defensive rebounding (second, 26.27) and three-point field goals per game (third, 5.37).
Legette-Jack played an instrumental role in helping USA Basketball to the 2005 FIBA U19 World Championship in Tunisia last summer. Legette-Jack served as an assistant to Duke's Gail Goestenkors on a U.S. Team that averaged 105.9 points per game and posted an impressive 46.3 points per game margin of victory. The U.S. team is just the third to finish the U19 World Championships undefeated, and it is the first team to post an 8-0 ledger.
In her first three years at Hofstra, Legette-Jack guided the Pride to the CAA Tournament Quarterfinals each year, and she earned 2003-04 CAA Coach of the Year after Hofstra went 14-14 overall and 11-7 in the league. The 11 league victories marked the most for Hofstra in 10 years. Hofstra's 27 victories from 2003-05 were the most in consecutive years since Hofstra won 39 games from 1982-84.
Legette-Jack's 2003-04 season was memorable in more ways than one. In the summer of 2003, Legette-Jack assisted Ohio State coach Jim Foster with the gold medal-winning USA Basketball FIBA World Championship For Young Women Team in Sibenik, Croatia. That club featured the eventual top two picks of the 2006 NBA Draft - LSU's Seimone Augustus (Minnesota Lynx) and Rutgers' Cappie Pondexter (Phoenix Mercury).
Legette-Jack arrived at Hofstra after two years as an assistant to Joanne P. McCallie at Michigan State. Legette-Jack served as the Spartans' recruiting coordinator, supervised the team's academic progress and preseason and postseason conditioning programs and helped sign the nation's 14th-best recruiting class in 2001-02. Legette-Jack helped orchestrate one of the nation's top turnarounds from 2000-01 to 2001-02. In 2000-01, MSU was 10-18 overall, but the Spartans responded by posting a 19-13 record in 2001-02, capped by a WNIT semifinal appearance. The 19 wins included three triumphs over nationally-ranked opponents. She recruited the nucleus of the Spartans' 2005 national finalist club.
Legette-Jack worked an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at her alma mater, Syracuse, from 1993-00. In addition to handling to team travel, tape exchange and overseeing the conditioning program, Legette-Jack recruited two Gatorade Players of the Year to the Orangewomen. Syracuse also boasted a 100 percent graduation rate during her tenure.
A 1989 Syracuse graduate with a double major in child and family studies and psychology, Legette-Jack scored 1,526 points and grabbed 927 rebounds. Legette-Jack is the second-leading scorer and all-time leading rebounder in Syracuse history. She won 1985 Big East Rookie of the Year honors and earned all-league laurels three times in her career. An inductee into the Greater Syracuse Hall of Fame, the Syracuse Urban League Hall of Fame and the Syracuse University Orange Plus Hall of Fame, Legette-Jack was one of 15 players named to the Big East Conference Silver Anniversary Team in 2004.
After graduation from Syracuse, Legette-Jack became head girls basketball coach at Westhill High School in Syracuse. She posted a 26-13 ledger in two seasons there, and five of her players earned Division I scholarships. Legette-Jack then spent two years as an assistant coach at Boston College, where the Golden Eagles recorded a 100-percent graduation rate during her tenure.
Born Sept. 4, 1966 in Syracuse, Felisha Legette-Jack and her husband, David, have a six-year-old son, David Maceo.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT Felisha Legette-Jack
"I am so happy for Felisha. This is a great match - Felisha and Indiana University. She is high energy and extremely motivated and positive. She has a tremendous work ethic and is one of the best people I have ever been associated with. She knows the game of basketball and is a great teacher. I can't say enough good things about her."
Gail Goestenkors, Duke Head Coach
"It is wonderful to welcome Felisha back into the Big Ten. She is a dynamic coach with terrific passion and pride who will be a tremendous addition to the conference and to IU. We are very proud of her and wish her and her family the very best as they settle in Bloomington. "
Joanne P. McCallie, Michigan State Head Coach
"From the first moment that I met Felisha Legette-Jack in 2000 - as we were hiring her to work with Coach McCallie's program at MSU - I knew that she was meant to be in the coaching profession. Her integrity, knowledge, passionate and engaging personality, work ethic, competitive spirit and her commitment to student-athlete growth and development through education and sport will certainly make a difference at IU. Indiana University and its leadership team have made a terrific hire, and there is no question that Coach Jack will work diligently to run a successful women's basketball program in all areas. The Spartan Family is thrilled to help the Hoosier Family welcome Felisha, David and Maceo back to the Big Ten."
Shelley Applebaum, Michigan State Senior Associate Athletics Director/Senior Woman Administrator
"Felisha Legette-Jack is one of the most dynamic, personable and outgoing people I know. She exudes charisma and brings instant energy, which will make her an unbelievable recruiter. She is a winner and I know she will do everything she can to make Indiana one of the top programs in the country. "
Katie Abrahamson-Henderson, Missouri State Head Coach
"The best recruit at IU just signed. Felisha has such energy, passion and commitment to excellence. There will be no finer representative of Indiana University. Her ability to motivate and inspire will make an immediate impact. This is a great decision on Indiana's part to put their program in a position to make noise not only in the Big Ten, but nationally."
Carol Ross, Ole Miss Head Coach
"After meeting with Coach Jack, I was ready to suit up and play basketball. She has a contagious enthusiasm. She understands the game as well as how to develop players with character and has demonstrated this in her record of success on the court and her players achieving excellence in the classroom. In essence, she embraces the values of Indiana University. I am excited to have her joining us."
James Wimbush, Indiana University Athletics Committee Chairperson and Chair, Department of Management and Professor of Business Administration, Indiana University Kelley School of Business
"She is an outstanding coach. She rebuilt Hofstra into a postseason tournament team in four years, and she will have the same type of success and build a similar program at Indiana. She is an attractive coach on all fronts - on the court and off. She will be a great representative for Indiana University."
Tom Yeager, Colonial Athletic Association Commissioner
"I'm impressed by her experience working as an assistant coach in three major programs and her success as a head coach. At Hofstra, her teams excelled both on the court and in the classroom. Her teams recorded high graduation rates and GPAs, and those are high priorities for her at IU. Coach Jack brings a positive attitude, enthusiasm, teamwork and commitment to the community. She's a great addition to the IU family."
Bruce Jaffee, Indiana University Athletics Faculty Representative
"I am thrilled for Felisha. She is someone who has contributed in a magnificent way to USA Basketball. She is a young woman who has built her career since she was a student-athlete at Syracuse. She was a marvelous example of a student-athlete then, and her career over coaching has gotten better every step of the way. She was a great representative for USA Basketball"
Chris Plonsky, University of Texas Director of Women's Athletics and USA Basketball Vice-President for Women's Programs
"I can't say enough good things about Felisha. I have known her since she was five or six. Great person, great family, great coach. She does a super job, and her players really like her. She was a great player at Syracuse who went on to a great coaching career. I have the utmost respect for her - her knowledge of the game and her relationships with people - players, coaches, fans, alumni. She is phenomenal. A great coach and an even better person."
Bernie Fine, Syracuse Men's Basketball Assistant Coach
"Felisha Legette-Jack has been supported by BCA, and we're very much behind her candidacy for this position. She brings not only proven success as head coach but has experience with the Big Ten at Michigan State. I think she is going to be a great success at Indiana University."
Floyd Keith, Executive Director, Black Coaches Association