Tomekia Reed loathes complacency. That trait doesn’t exist in her DNA. Mediocrity doesn’t fit in her visual perception as a coach or a full-time mother to her 10-year-old son, Carlon. “She’s big on discipline and demands excellence,” says Jackson State guard Miya Crump. Reed is in constant pursuit of growth and success. It’s how she has elevated the JSU women’s basketball program—her matter-of-fact approach to details, eye-catching outfits at games and fortitude through adversity breeds confidence in her players, not allowing them to settle for less, even when they are exhausted.
On Dec. 8 during a morning practice inside the Walter Payton Health and Recreation Center, Reed is immersed in a defensive drill ahead of the HBCU’s clash against Missouri. “We got to be d--- smart … and stay wide,” Reed says to her players. “That’s the only reason why Missouri is 5–1.” As her players move synchronically in rotation, Reed’s pedagogy exceeds the early-December matchup against a middle-of-the-pack SEC squad. It’s part of the team’s creed this season to “knock down walls,” and “do something that’s never been done before,” she says. Reed, who is in her fifth season at JSU, has posted an 85–45 mark and 64–10 record in SWAC action, which includes tying the single-season wins record (23) last season, three consecutive regular-season championships and two conference tournament titles in three appearances.
Charles Smith/Courtesy of Jackson State
