The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Women's Basketball
- Title:
- Associate Head Coach
Dionnah Jackson-Durrett, one of the top young coaches in the nation, begins her second season as the associate head coach at Texas.
In 2020-21, the Longhorns enjoyed 21 wins as well as to the program’s 10th all-time NCAA Elite Eight (first since 2016) appearance with a magical run through the NCAA Tournament, that included victories over No. 2-seed Maryland, No. 3-seed UCLA and No. 11-seed Bradley.
Since making the trip from Starkville to the Forty Acres with Head Coach, Vic Schaefer, Jackson-Durrett has continued to make impact as elite developer and mentor.
With primary oversight of the guard position, several Longhorns flourished under Jackson-Durrett’s tutelage in 2020-21.
Graduate transfer point guard Kyra Lambert saw a career resurgence in her fifth year averaging 7.1 points per game, the second highest scoring average of her career, while leading the team in assists at 3.1 per game.
Juniors Joanne Allen-Taylor and Audrey Warren registered career numbers in several categories under Jackson-Durrett’s guidance. Allen-Taylor averaged a career-high 12.1 points per game and was named Honorable Mention All-Big 12. Warren averaged a career-best 10.3 points per contest.
Since she arrived in Starkville in 2015, Jackson-Durrett worked directly with Mississippi State's point guards. Under her direction, the Bulldogs recorded the top-three single-season assist marks in program history, including the school record of 602 during the 2017-18 campaign.
During her time at Mississippi State, the Bulldogs ranked inside the top-25 nationally and led the SEC in assists [three times], assists per game [once] and assist-to-turnover ratio [twice]. Jackson-Durrett coached and mentored the two best point guards ever to play for the Bulldogs in Jazzmun Holmes and Morgan William. Both received All-America Honorable Mention recognition from the Associated Press.
Holmes set the single-season record for assists with 202 in 2018-19, breaking the previous record of 181, held by William. Since the stat started being recorded in 2007-08, Holmes also claimed the NCAA Division I record for assist-to-turnover ratio after leading the country with a 4.81 clip. She finished second on Mississippi State's career assists list with 476 and became the only player in program history to record multiple games with at least 12 assists.
William is best known for her game-winning shot against No. 1 UConn that sent the Bulldogs to their first NCAA Championship Game appearance in 2016-17. She also set the Mississippi State records for career assists [656] and career assists per game [4.4]. William holds three of the top-five single-season assist totals in program history. The All-SEC selection became just the second player to ever lead the Bulldogs in assists for four seasons. As a senior, she finished the year third in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio at 3.7.
Jackson-Durrett made the move to Starkville following a two-year stint on the staff at George Mason, where she worked with the Patriots' offense and guards. She tutored Taylor Brown to the team's scoring title both seasons and second-team all-conference honors in 2015 after averaging 21.4 points per game and setting a school single-season record with 643 points.
Jackson-Durrett began her coaching career at Southwest Missouri State where she helped Kara Wright to the Ohio Valley Conference All-Newcomer Team and Bianca Beck to an overseas professional contract in her three years at the school.
During her playing days at Oklahoma, Jackson-Durrett played 131 games with the Sooners, averaging 11.4 points per game, 6.3 rebounds per game, 4.6 assists per game and 2.1 steals per game. She garnered Honorable Mention All-America honors as well as being named a finalist for the Wade and Naismith National Player of the Year Awards.
Jackson-Durrett wrapped her collegiate career in the top-10 in 17 of Oklahoma's 22 all-time records lists. She ranked second in assists [606], third in steals [265], fourth in rebounds [829], fifth in blocks [64] and ninth in scoring [1,491].
Her final season at Oklahoma saw her earn First-Team All-Big 12 accolades after landing second-team honors her sophomore and junior years. As a junior, she also was selected as the Big 12 Tournament MVP after leading Oklahoma to the second league title of her career.
In addition to the pair of Big 12 titles, the three-year starter at point guard and three-year captain led Oklahoma to the NCAA Tournament all four years, including the program's first Final Four and national runner-up finish as a freshman.
Jackson-Durrett was a first-round selection by the Detroit Shock in the 2005 WNBA Draft. In 2007, she was picked up by the Chicago Sky and also played in Israel for Maccabi Tel Kabir. In addition to her time in Israel, she played overseas in Switzerland and Greece.
A St. Louis native, Jackson-Durrett was the 2001 Missouri Player of the Year and a two-time all-state selection after leading Parkway High School to a 102-12 four-year record.
Jackson-Durrett earned her bachelor's degree in mass communication from Oklahoma in 2005 and a master's degree in higher education administration from Southeast Missouri State in 2013. She is married to Jon Durrett and the couple has a daughter, Laila Renee [2].
THE DIONNAH JACKSON-DURRETT FILE
Hometown: St. Louis, Mo.
Alma Mater: Oklahoma [2005]
Spouse: Jon Durrett
Children: Daughter, Laila Renee
COACHING HISTORY
2020-Present: Associate Head Coach, Texas
2019-20: Associate Head Coach, Mississippi State
2015-19: Assistant Coach, Mississippi State
2013-15: Assistant Coach, George Mason
2010-13: Assistant Coach, Southeast Missouri State
PLAYING EXPERIENCE
2007: Chicago Sky [WNBA]
2007-10: Israeli Premier League
2006-07: Ligue Nationale de Basket A [Switzerland]
2006: San Jose Spiders [NWBL]
2001-05: University of Oklahoma
PLAYING HONORS
• First-Round WNBA Draft Pick [Detroit Shock, 2005]
• Kodak All-America honorable mention [2005]
• Associated Press All-America honorable mention [2005]
• Kodak All-District VI All-American [2005]
• 2005 All-Big 12 First Team [2005]
• Wade & Naismith National Player of the Year Finalist [2005]
• Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year Finalist [2005]
• Big 12 Tournament MVP [2004]
• All-Big 12 second team [2004, 2003]
• Big 12 All-Tournament team [2002]
