TicketsApril 24, 2007
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CINCINNATI -- University of Cincinnati head women's basketball coach J. Kelley Hall has added two members to his staff.
Todd Schaefer, previously the head coach at Arkansas Tech University, will serve as associate head coach of the Bearcats. Everett "E.J." Jackson, coming to UC from BIG EAST foe West Virginia, joins the Bearcats as an assistant coach.
"Todd and Everett are terrific coaches who share my love for the game and have the same objective to bring championships home to the University of Cincinnati," said Hall. "We have an opportunity, as a staff, to make a difference here and do something special. I really believe this staff can help UC win championships."
Schaefer, a native of Cincinnati and graduate of Finneytown High School, returns to the Queen City after more than a decade of coaching college basketball across the country.
"It is great to have Todd return to his roots and a great advantage for us to have a hometown coach on our staff," said Hall. "I can relate with Todd because he has also taken mediocre teams and turned them into great teams. His potential is endless at UC and I am honored to have him as my associate head coach."
"I want to thank the UC administration and J. Kelley for the opportunity to work at the University I grew up rooting for," added Schaefer. "The administration has given us first-class facilities and great academic programs to recruit top-tier athletes. I am looking forward to working with Kelley and the staff, as we strive to make the Bearcat program a contender for BIG EAST Championships."
Schaefer comes to the Bearcats from Arkansas Tech University where he was head coach for the past two seasons, compiling a 37-22 record. Schaefer had taken over a Golden Suns program coming off the worst consecutive seasons in the program's history. During the 2006-2007 season, Schaefer led the Golden Suns to a 22-10 record, the Gulf South Conference Championship game, an NCAA Division II Tournament at-large birth, and a first round Division II Tournament win.
Schaefer had two players earn GSC All-Conference honors, had a player earn a GSC first-team All-Academic award and had a conference-high eight players make the GSC Academic Honor Roll. The Golden Suns carried a 3.2 overall grade point average during the fall semester. Schaefer was promoted to the helm of the Golden Suns program after one season as assistant coach in 2004-2005.
Prior to his stint at Arkansas Tech, Schaefer was the head coach at Christian Brothers University in Memphis, Tenn. for five seasons, amassing an overall record of 60-76. In his first season, 1999-2000, he led the Lady Bucs to their first-ever NCAA postseason tournament appearance by qualifying for the Gulf South Conference Tournament.
By his fifth and final season his hard work and recruiting efforts produced one of the best seasons in the school's history as CBU won its first and only GSC Western Division regular season championship, and earned the school's only NCAA Division II National Tournament bid in 2003-2004. The accomplishment is all the more remarkable considering the 2002-2003 edition of the Lady Bucs, decimated by injury, posted just a 5-22 record. CBU finished the 2003-2004 season with a school-best Division II record 23-7, marking the biggest single-season turnaround in Division II women's basketball history.
While at CBU, Schaefer had five different players earn GSC all-conference honors and one player earn GSC Freshman of the Year. His teams regularly had cumulative grade point averages over 3.0 and every player that finished their eligibility at CBU under Schaefer walked away with their degrees.
Schaefer secured his first head coaching position when he was appointed to the helm of the women's basketball program at Allen County Community College in Iola, Kansas in 1997. He remained at ACCC for two seasons where his teams were competitive in the toughest Junior College conference in the country. Schaefer recruited and coached the Jayhawk Conference's Eastern Division Player of the Year and NJCAA scoring champion Heather Baker. Until the 2006-07 season Baker held the NJCAA National record for points in a game, when she totaled 57 points versus Highland Community College.
Schaefer's professional coaching experience began in 1995 when he was hired as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Western Illinois University, in Macomb, IL. At WIU, Schaefer was responsible for two recruiting classes that included two players who earned high school honorable mention All-American honors, one Mid-Continent Conference Freshman of the Year award and two all-conference selections.
He gave up his football career and started his collegiate coaching career as a student assistant while attending Thomas More College in Crestview Hills, KY. While at Thomas More, he helped coach Kim Prewitt, who broke the single season record for three-point field goals made in a season with 107 in 1994.
Schaefer earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in English/Communications from Thomas More College in 1995. Schaefer was an honorable mention All-State performer in football and baseball at Finneytown High School where he earned four letters in football and baseball and two in basketball.
He is a member of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association and is married to the former Lisa Harper of Pocahontas, AR. The couple had their first child, Landon Harper Schaefer, on August 24, 2006.
Jackson, a native of Rochester, Pa., comes to Cincinnati from BIG EAST foe West Virginia where he coached for two seasons.
"Everett has tremendous experience recruiting at the national level," said Hall. "He also has familiarity with the BIG EAST which enhances our staff that much more. He has established himself as one of the top coaches when it comes to mentoring post players. "
"I am extremely excited to join J. Kelley Hall's staff at the University of Cincinnati," added Jackson. "Kelley is a proven winner and a terrific coach and recruiter, plus UC has some of the finest facilities in the nation. I look forward to becoming a part of the Bearcat family and welcome the opportunity to make Cincinnati a BIG EAST-and national-championship team."
His duties at WVU included working with the post players and recruiting. Jackson was paramount in the Mountaineers' success and run to the BIG EAST championship game during the 2005-06 season. WVU advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and posted a 21-11 record during the 2006-07 season. Jackson helped groom 6-foot-2 center Olayinka Sanni into a first-team all-BIG EAST performer, just the second in Mountaineer women's basketball history to earn the honor.
Jackson came to WVU from South Alabama, where he helped the Jaguars to a 54-33 record and two WNIT appearances in his three seasons as an assistant coach from 2003-05. He was involved in every aspect of the Jaguar program: coaching the posts, recruiting, scouting, academic monitoring of the student-athletes and camp management.
He entered the collegiate ranks after several successful seasons in high school basketball. Before heading to South Alabama, he spent four years at Deerfield Beach (Fla.) High School where he served as varsity girls basketball head coach. During his tenure, he led Deerfield to two state final four appearances, two regional championships and three district titles while compiling a 106-25 record from 1998-2002. In 2002 he was named the Sun Sentinel large school coach of the year.
Jackson earned his bachelor's degree in special education from Slippery Rock in 1993. He worked as a student assistant with the Slippery Rock women's basketball team from 1992-93.
His basketball coaching background also includes stints as a middle school coach and a camp instructor for Tennessee, Florida, Notre Dame and the NBA's Miami Heat.
Hall, who was named head coach of the UC women's basketball team on April 4, 2007, will add one more member to his staff.