Updated: March 26, 2025
Tavares Jackson joined the women’s basketball staff in 2013 and was promoted to Associate Head Coach in 2019. While on staff, Ohio has produced one MAC player of the Year winner, two MAC Freshman of the Year winners, three MAC Defensive Player of the Year winners, one MAC Sixth Player of the Year winner and 16 players on the All-MAC first, second or third team.
In 2024-25, Jackson helped Watkins become an All-MAC Third Team honoree. Jackson and the rest of the staff helped the Bobcats achieve several individual milestones this season. Head coach Bob Boldon earned his 200th win at Ohio and Watkins achieved the 1,000 point milestone.
2023-24 saw Jackson help three Bobcats earn All-MAC honors. Jaya McClure and Kennedi Watkins were named All-MAC honorable mention and Bailey Tabeling was selected for the MAC All-Freshman team. At the end of the season, Tabeling ranked 24th in the nation for three-point percentage. Jackson also helped Ohio make its return to the MAC tournament as the No. 7 seed. Ohio concluded the season with a 11-19 overall record.
In 2022-23, Jackson helped Ohio place two players on the All-MAC teams, with Yaya Felder making the second team and Jaya McClure earning a spot on the All-Freshman team.
2021-22 saw Jackson help Cece Hooks was honored as the MAC Co-Defensive Player of the Year in addition to being selected for the All-MAC first team and All-Defensive team. Erica Johnson was selected for the All-MAC third team and Gabby Burris was named an All-MAC honorable mention. Ohio made the WNIT in 2021-22 and finished with a 15-15 overall record.
In 2020-21, Jackson helped coach Cece Hooks to an Honorable Mention All-America honor, Ohio's first since 1986 when Caroline Mast was named the same. Hooks added the All-America honors to an already impressive list of awards. Hooks was named Mid-American Conference Player of the Year, MAC Defensive Player of the Year, First-Team All-MAC and MAC All-Defensive Team. Hooks finished the year ranked third in the nation in points per game and was just the second player in school history to record a triple-double after scoring 31 points, 11 assists and 10 steals against Miami.
Ohio made the WNIT in 2020-21 and won one game in the tournament when they took down Fordham, 81-64. The Bobcats finished the season 15-10.
2019-20 saw Jackson help Cece Hooks and Erica Johnson become first-team All-MAC honorees, while Amani Burke became a third-team All-MAC winner. Hooks won MAC Defensive Player of the Year for the second-straight season. Jackson helped Ohio take down Ohio State for the first time ever in 2019-20, beating the Buckeyes, 74-68.
In 2018-19, Jackson helped guide the Bobcats to a 30 win season and a round of eight appearance in the Women's National Invitation Tournament. Jackson helped Ohio place three on the All-MAC list, with Cece Hooks making the first team and Erica Johnson and Amani Burke making the third team. Ohio rewrote the record book this season, scoring more points (2,746), making more field goals (980) and making more threes (341) than any other team in program history. Ohio's Erica Johnson won Mid-American Conference Sixth Player and Freshman of the Year, while Cece Hooks - who broke the single season steals record (112) - won MAC Defensive Player of the Year. Hooks ended up making first-team All-MAC, while Johnson and Amani Burke were placed on the third team.
Cece Hooks won MAC Freshman of the Year as Ohio advanced to the MAC Quarterfinals in 2017-18.
In 2016-17, Ohio went 22-10 and went to the WNIT. Jackson helped the Bobcats pick up a Big Ten win over Illinois, 80-68, in non-conference play. Jackson helped Quiera Lampkins land on the All-MAC second team.
2015-16 saw Ohio win its second MAC regular-season championship. Jackson assisted in Ohio's run to the third-round of the WNIT after the Bobcats defeated Marshall and Virginia Tech.
In 2014-15, Jackson helped lead the Bobcats to a program record 27-win season and their first birth in the NCAA Tournament since 1995. Ohio led the MAC in scoring margin (+12.6) as well as scoring defense (55.2). Ohio also won the MAC regular season and tournament championship. The `Cats were also second in the MAC in turnover margin (+4.00). Ohio led the MAC in three-point field goals made per game (8.9).
Jackson worked as a recruiting coordinator and assistant coach for Boldon at Youngstown State. Jackson was a big part of a YSU offense which finished the 2011-12 season ranked fifth in the nation with 9.2 three-pointers made per game, and one which was also one of just 10 teams in the country to make at least 16 three-pointers in a game during the year.
Jackson served as the recruiting coordinator under Boldon at Youngstown State and assisted with on-floor coaching, game preparation, scheduling and the program's camp series.
Prior to Youngstown State, Jackson worked at Division II Slippery Rock University from 2004-10. At Slippery Rock, he became a well-respected recruiter, eventually bringing in five NCAA Division I transfers and two NJCAA All-American signings.
Following a successful playing career at Division II Minnesota, Crookston and Mid-State Technical College in Wisconsin, Jackson got his start in college coaching as a graduate assistant at Bemidji State from 2000-02. He then cracked the NCAA Division I ranks with an assistant coaching job at Austin Peay. While on staff with the Governors, Jackson specialized in working with the team's guards while also assisting with various other tasks. He was a part of Austin Peay's best season in school history, a year which saw the Governors go 27-4 and win both the Ohio Valley Conference regular season and tournament titles. Jackson then spent the 2003-04 season as an assistant coach with the Eastern Illinois Panthers.
Jackson earned his bachelor's degrees in both sports and recreation management and applied studies from Minnesota, Crookston in 2000 and his Master's in Sport Administration from Ohio in 2021.
