rewrite this content and keep HTML tags
Story Links
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois assistant women’s basketball coach Jackie Alexander has been selected to participate in the prestigious 2025 TopConnect Basketball Symposium, which will take place at the Marriott Village at Lake Buena Vista in Orlando, Florida, on Monday, June 9.
Developed by ETSU athletic director Dr. Richard Sander, TopConnect identifies the top assistant basketball coaches in the country and connects them with mid-major athletic directors, providing tremendous networking and leadership development opportunities for both parties.
“I am extremely grateful to participate in TopConnect,” Alexander said. “It’s an incredible opportunity to hear from athletic directors and administrators, and to connect with some of the best coaches in the profession. I’m thankful for the chance to build relationships and learn from people who are making an impact in college basketball.”
Alexander joined the Fighting Illini as an assistant coach in April after spending the 2024-25 season at Toledo. Prior to her time with the Rockets, Alexander held positions at East Tennessee State (2021-24), Eastern Kentucky (2019-21), Albany (2018-19), and Air Force (2017-18).
A native of Broadhead, Kentucky, Alexander served as an Army officer for three years following her undergraduate career at Army West Point and the University of the Cumberlands. Reaching the rank of captain, she served at Fort Campbell in Kentucky and was deployed to Iraq while in the Army.
Alexander’s attendance at the 2025 TopConnect Basketball Symposium will mark her fourth consecutive appearance at the event, having attended annually since 2022. She was also invited to the WBCA Next Generation Institute in 2024, and she was named to the 2021 WBCA Thirty Under 30 List.
In its eighth year, TopConnect develops educational programming that allows top assistant coaches to hear from a variety of successful leaders and speakers.
