JU women’s basketball team hires Special Jennings as its new head coach

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville University has filled its women’s basketball team head coaching vacancy, announcing the hire of Special Jennings to lead its program.

Jennings heads to JU after a highly successful tenure at Montverde Academy, one of the top high school programs in Florida. Jennings led Montverde to back-to-back GEICO high school national championships in 2022-23 and went 68-6 in her career there. Jennings has college assistant coaching stops at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Augusta University and Flagler College.

“Today marks an exciting moment for our women’s basketball program and university as we welcome Special Jennings as our head coach,” said senior vice president/athletic director Alex Ricker-Gilbert.

“Special is a national championship-level coach, a world-class recruiter and has mentored some of the top women’s basketball players in the country. She knows how to rebuild a program and will be an outstanding role model for our student-athletes. We are ecstatic to have Special and her wife Amber join the Jacksonville University community.”

Jennings also served also served as an administrative assistant at Wright State and played in college at Xavier University.

“From the moment I came onto the Jacksonville campus, this place just felt right,” said Jennings, who becomes the fifth head coach in the history of the program. “The atmosphere just made me feel wanted. Everyone on this campus, from the athletic department to the President, share the same electricity, wanting to see the women’s basketball program succeed.” “I want to thank President Tim Cost and Alex Ricker-Gilbert for entrusting me to rejuvenate this program and give JU fans, alumni and the city of Jacksonville a team that will exude class, confidence and excellence, both on- and off-the-court.”

The Dolphins are coming off a 12-17 season and are looking to get back to the success enjoyed during Yolett McPhee-McCuin’s five-year tenure. McPhee-McCuin’s final three seasons included totals of 22, 23 and 24 wins and an NCAA tournament berth in 2015-16.

Jennings replaces Darnell Haney, who left JU last month after five seasons. Haney was promoted to head coach in 2018 to replace McPhee-McCuin, who left JU for Ole Miss. In a statement, McPhee-McCuin praised the hire.

“Special is a home run hire for Jacksonville women’s basketball! She is an innovator, leader and excellent coach who has won at every level she has either played or coached at,” she said. “There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that she will be successful at JU. Not only with wins, but impacting those young people’s lives.”