Jacey Brooks named Cortland women's basketball head coach
Cortland Sports Information Department
Jacey Brooks has been selected as the new women's basketball head coach at SUNY Cortland in an announcement from director of athletics Mike Urtz. A former standout player at Buffalo State College, Brooks has worked with Division I coaching staffs for the past 11 years, most recently as an assistant coach for five years at Bowling Green State University in Ohio.
Brooks takes over for long-time head coach Jeannette Mosher, who accepted the head coaching position at the University of Texas at Tyler last month. Lindsey Minor, an assistant coach the past three seasons, served briefly as interim head coach after Mosher's departure.
"I would like to thank Mike Urtz, the search committee, and the College for this amazing opportunity," Brooks said. "During my playing days in the SUNYAC, I admired Cortland from afar. Once I became aware of the opportunity to guide such a successful program, so rich in tradition, history and resources, I instantly envisioned myself as the next head coach.
"This is truly a dream come true and I am extremely excited and grateful to now lead this team. I am elated to come in and hit the ground running with a great group of young women. Coach Mosher did a fantastic job over the last 20 years and I look forward to keeping our sights on success!"
"We are excited to bring in a head coach with such vast experience at a very high level of women's collegiate basketball," said Urtz. "After learning of Jacey's work ethic and commitment to excellence, coupled with her extensive experience, we feel that we have really landed a top-level coach to lead our program going forward. I think the future looks bright for the Cortland women's basketball program."
Brooks was part of a Bowling Green program that finished 30-5 overall, captured the Mid-American Conference (MAC) regular-season title with a 17-1 mark, and won three games in the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) in the 2013-14 season. She co-managed the Falcons' offensive scheme, including in-game decisions, from 2013-16 and served as the program's defensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator from 2016-18. The program had the fifth-highest team grade point average among Division I women's squads in 2014-15 and the seventh-best team GPA in 2016-17.
In August 2015, Brooks was one of just 50 coaches across the nation selected to participate in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's (WBCA) Center for Coaching Excellence's inaugural session for assistant coaches in Atlanta, Ga. She also attended the NCAA/National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators (NACWAA) Women's Leadership Symposium in Kansas City, Mo., in May 2016.
Prior to her work at Bowling Green, Brooks spent three seasons on the coaching staff at Canisius College. She primarily worked with the team's backcourt players while assisting with the day-to-day operations of the program. Brooks also worked at St. Bonaventure University, where she moved into an assistant coach role for the 2009-10 season after spending two years as the director of basketball operations. The Bonnies finished 23-10 and made their second straight WNIT appearance in 2009-10.
A native of Machias, N.Y., Brooks graduated from Buffalo State in 2006 with a Bachelor of Science in Health and Wellness. During her four seasons on the hardwood for the Bengals (2002-05 and 2006-07) she recorded 1,219 points and 554 rebounds, earned two All-SUNYAC honors, and helped lead the team to three straight conference tournaments. She currently ranks fifth in school history in scoring and 14th in rebounding. Brooks is also the Bengals' career free throw percentage leader (84.5 percent), and she holds the school single-season records for 3-point shooting percentage (43.4 percent in 2003-04) and free throw percentage (87.0 percent in 2004-05).
Brooks has also coached in the Empire State Games, serving as an assistant coach for the Western region in the women's open division. She earned a Master of Science in Sport Administration from Canisius in May 2012.
