1. The Illinois women’s basketball team has brought Jackie Alexander on board as an assistant coach, the program announced Wednesday. Alexander most recently worked at Toledo, where she served as both an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the 2023-24 season. Before that, she spent three years at East Tennessee State in a similar role and also held coaching positions at Eastern Kentucky, Albany, and Air Force.
2. At East Tennessee State, Alexander served from 2021 to 2023, overseeing recruiting and assisting with coaching duties. Prior to that, she worked at Eastern Kentucky from 2019 to 2021, again handling both recruiting and coaching responsibilities. She takes over for Liza Fruendt, who left Illinois after one season to join Missouri, reuniting with her former college coach Kellie Harper.
3. Alexander has a background as a player, having competed for one season at Army West Point (2010–11) before transferring to the University of the Cumberlands, where she played from 2011 to 2014. After graduating, she served in the U.S. Army as an officer for three years.
4. Illinois head coach Shauna Green expressed her excitement about the hire, saying Alexander brings valuable experience as both a recruiting coordinator and on-court coach. Green noted Alexander’s success as both an offensive and defensive coordinator and praised her track record of contributing to program turnarounds. Green added that Alexander understands what it takes to win and is eager to get started.
5. In her own statement, Alexander said she was honored to join Coach Green’s staff and the Illinois program. She commended Green’s achievements and leadership and expressed her enthusiasm about helping elevate the program further. With strong recruiting ties in Ohio — a region Illinois has successfully recruited under Green — Alexander’s experience is seen as a natural fit. Her addition continues the trend of stability on Green’s staff, which has only seen one assistant change per offseason since her arrival.
