Jessie Ivey has been named Head Women's Basketball Coach at Tiffin University.
Ivey has spent the last two seasons as assistant coach at Bowling Green State University. Prior to coaching for the Falcons, Ivey was named the Division II Assistant Coach of the Year while coaching for four seasons at the University of West Florida.
"We're extremely excited to announce the hiring of Jessie Ivey as Head Women's Basketball Coach," said Athletic Director Lonny Allen. "We had an incredible national search. Our Senior Women's Administrator, Kelly Daniel, did an outstanding job with narrowing down our four finalists. All four were worthy of the position. Everybody that was on the committee felt that Jessie was the fit TU needed to move its program forward to mold our student athletes into outstanding students, citizens, and players. I can't wait to see what the future holds."
"I'm so excited to be named the new head coach at Tiffin University," said Ivey. "I would like to thank President Lillian Schumacher, Athletic Director Lonny Allen, and Senior Women's Administrator Kelly Daniel for believing in me and giving my family and I this amazing opportunity. I cannot wait to get to work as we begin to lay the groundwork for building a championship program in the classroom, on the court, and most importantly in life."
Ivey, who also graduated from UWF, is a native of Jay, Florida. After three years as an assistant coach, she was promoted to recruiting coordinator in May of 2015.
The Argos went 62-51 over her four years with the program, winning the 2014 Gulf South Conference championship and making two NCAA Tournament appearances during that time. Ivey helped oversee the development of the UWF program, taking a team that went 6-21 in 2012-13 and transforming it to a team that won 56 games over her final three seasons. The transformation was immediate, as UWF jumped from 6-21 to 19-11 in 2013-14, winning the GSC Tournament championship for the first time in program history and advancing to the NCAA Tournament.
The 2014-15 Argos finished with a 20-9 mark and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Regional semifinals.
In 2016, Ivey was named the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division II Assistant Coach of the Year. Ivey was also named to the WBCA's Thirty Under 30 honoree list. She participated in the WBCA's 2015 Center for Coaching Excellence in Atlanta., Ga., and also participated in the Assistant Coaches Leadership Workshop in Quantico, Va.
Ivey played for the Argos from 2005-10, finishing her career with 381 points, 81 three-pointers, 100 assists and 51 steals over 96 games. She started all 28 games as a senior, averaging 5.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 23.0 minutes per game. For her career, she shot 30.4 percent from three-point land and 82.5% from the free-throw line.
Following the completion of her collegiate playing career, Ivey joined the Argonauts' staff as a graduate assistant, serving in that role for two years before being promoted to assistant coach.
Ivey graduated from UWF in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science degree in exercise science and a minor in sports psychology. She earned a Master of Science degree in exercise science from UWF in 2012.