Tomekia Reed was formally announced as Charlotte's new head coach, signaling a new era for the 49ers program and her budding career as one of women's basketball's greatest coaches. Reed joined the Niners after six seasons with Jackson State where she led the team to immense success. She certainly found time in her press conference to show love to both Jackson State and the overall HBCU community.

“Our time in Jackson was amazing. I didn’t realize how much had been accomplished until I was getting ready to leave, and it was very emotional for myself, my staff and my team. I’m the type of coach. I don’t really look at what we do in the moment because if you get comfortable, you don’t grow. And so we quickly move on to continue to be successful. But my time at Jackson State and the HBCU community was amazing. it’s an experience I will never forget. I will never forget my experience there. And I’m very grateful for the HBCU community and what we were able to do in terms of putting HBCUs on a higher map,” she said during the press conference in a response to HBCU Gameday's Wali Pitt.

Reed guided Jackson State to great success during her tenure, leading the team to three NCAA Tournament appearances in 2021, 2022, and 2024, along with securing multiple SWAC Championships. Additionally, two of her former Jackson State players, Ameshya Williams-Holliday and Angel Jackson, were drafted into the WNBA – Williams-Holliday by the Indiana Fever in 2022 and Jackson by the two-time defending WNBA Champion Las Vegas Aces in 2024.

According to Reed, she is still in the process of finalizing her coaching staff, but she has brought Chase Campbell, Jonathan Williams, and LaShonda Cousin with her from JSU.

“I am currently still working on my staff, but right now I have the three best coaches in the country that have come with me here. and they are go getters. Skill developing coaches, coaches who ran their own skill development organization. I have a former head coach on my staff who was on the men’s side. So he has a very tough mentality. He gets it. And then I have a coach who’s been with me since she was a graduate assistant. So she is a split image of who I am.”

Reed has joined a Lady Niners team that just wrapped up their first season in the American Athletic Conference. The Niners won nine AAC games, earning the sixth seed in the conference tournament, finishing the year 16-15. However, they lost to Tulane 65-52 in the AAC tournament. Reed's hiring follows former head coach Cara Consuegra's departure to Marquette last week.

Consuegra had a successful run with the Charlotte program, coaching the 49ers for 13 seasons with a 225-169 record. She led the team to one NCAA tournament appearance and seven WNIT postseason berths. In 2021, Consuegra set the all-time women's basketball victory record for the program. While she left big shoes to fill, Reed seems ready to keep the program thriving and she looks to bring the same championship success that her team enjoyed while she was at Jackson State.

“We will be the most trendy, the most attractive and the most winningest program in Division one basketball. And I must say, I want more hardware. I want more trophies, I want more rings, I want more championships. And this will be the new location for where the rings reside.”