Duke assistant becomes Washington's third coach in 22 years

4/6/2007 8:20 PM

By GREGG BELL
AP Sports Writer

SEATTLE (AP) -The Washington pep band played its fight song as cheerleaders waved purple pompoms near Tia Jackson's face. It was the beginning of the buzz that school administrators want back in their women's basketball program.

Then there's this: Washington is now the first major college to have blacks coaching each of the three biggest sports programs.

Amid Friday's pep-rally setting, the Huskies' new women's basketball coach caught the eye of an old friend, Tyrone Willingham.

Jackson delivered a smile and a coy wave to Washington's football coach, her pal from when she was an assistant at Stanford. Then she walked past and was announced as Washington's third women's basketball coach in 22 years.

One night earlier, Jackson met with Willingham and Lorenzo Romar, her new colleague as men's basketball coach.

``I'm going to pick their brains,'' Jackson said.

It was an unprecedented gathering.

``No question, it's unprecedented,'' Willingham said over the band's music about Washington's new coaching triumvirate. ``But in Tia, the number one thing is we have an outstanding person with an unbelievable passion.

``The quality of the people here outweigh the situation with us being minorities.''

That quality was worth Washington giving the 34-year-old Jackson, who has never been a head coach, a five-year contract that athletic director Todd Turner said will have an annual base salary of $180,000. The deal includes incentives based on performance, academics and administrative goals that could push the pay above $300,000 per year for the former assistant at Virginia Commonwealth, Stanford, UCLA and Duke.

``The salary is very competitive in the Pac-10, and exceptional for a first-time head coach,'' Turner said following a rollicking, engaging gathering that had donors walking up to Turner afterward and simply saying, ``Thank you.''

Turner said he wanted to put ``buzz'' back into Washington women's basketball when he fired June Daugherty and her entire staff on March 18. Friday, there was plenty of that.

Turner and Jackson both mentioned the new coach will be at more camps, clinics and public appearances around Seattle than Daugherty was in her 11 seasons at Washington. Daugherty's leadership could not reverse a steep decline in attendance at Hec Edmundson Pavilion over recent seasons, despite six NCAA tournament appearances during her tenure.

Jackson said her Huskies will play a popular, up-tempo style with an emphasis on pressing defense. That is what Romar likes to do with Washington's men, who sell out almost every game.

Jackson has been tutored by some of the biggest names in women's basketball. The Maryland native played at Iowa for Hall of Fame coach C. Vivian Stringer. She played in the WNBA for the Phoenix Mercury and former All-American player Cheryl Miller. As an assistant at Stanford, Jackson learned strategies and how to meticulously break down film from coach Tara VanDerveer.

Jackson, known as a recruiting whiz, then went from UCLA to Duke. She has followed former Duke head coach Gail Goestenkors out of the Blue Devils' program. Goestenkors left this week to become the coach at Texas.

``Tia is destined to be a superstar,'' Goestenkors said. ``She has it all. She's outgoing, she's an incredible recruiter and she's great with people. ... She's an impact coach. And Washington is one fortunate university.''

Jackson inherits a team that went 18-12 last season and finished fourth in the Pac-10 before Iowa State routed it in the first round of the NCAA tournament. She will have an incoming class of Daugherty's final recruits that is considered among the nation's best.

``She's fun, laid-back, easy to talk to - but at the same time you know what she wants: discipline,'' Huskies point guard Emily Florence said after a morning meeting with her new coach.

Florence said she ``wouldn't necessarily say things were broken'' under Daugherty, but added, ``sometimes change is good.''