MONTGOMERY, Ala. | Alabama State University Vice President and Director of Athletics Dr. Jason Cable introduced Johnetta Hayes as the new Hornets’ head women’s basketball coach at a press conference Tuesday, April 15, at 1 pm.
Hayes is a veteran coach with 10 years of head coaching experience, including six highly successful seasons as the head coach at Texas Southern Hayes University from 2013-19.
“Today, we celebrate Johnetta Hayes as the new head women’s basketball coach at Alabama State University,” Cable said. “Her passion for the game, commitment to player development, and vision for success align perfectly with our vision.”
Hayes spent the 2024-25 season as an assistant coach for Rutgers. She becomes the third head coach in the history of the women’s basketball program. She replaces Freda Freeman-Jackson, who announced her retirement in March after 27 seasons as the program leader.
During her tenure at Texas Southern, she posted an 83-24 SWAC record, winning 78% of her conference games with an overall record of 115-74. She led TSU to two SWAC regular season titles, one SWAC Tournament title, and four overall postseason tournaments (one NCAA, two WNIT , and one WCBI). Haynes’s overall record as a head coach is 197-165 and 130-80 in conference games, with additional head coaching stops at Wiley College, and the University of Maryland-Baltimore.
Before Rutgers, Hayes served as the head coach at UMBC for four seasons, leading the team to new heights and historic milestones. In the 2022-23 season, Hayes led the Retrievers to an 11-win improvement, one of the best in the nation. ‘
Before her time in Baltimore and Texas Southern, Hayes spent two years as an assistant on coach Cynthia Cooper-Dyke’s staff at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington. During the stint, the Seahawks recorded back-to-back 20-win seasons and WNIT appearances. Before UNCW, Hayes was an assistant coach at North Texas (2008-10).
Hayes has also served as the head coach at Wiley (Texas) College (2006-08) and as an assistant coach at Prairie View A&M (2004-06). The Houston, Texas native was a four-year letter winner at Rice (2000-04). She earned first team All-WAC honors in 2003 after leading Rice in scoring, rebounding, blocked shots, and field goal percentage.
Hayes graduated with a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree from Rice University in 2004 and earned a Master of Education from Prairie View A&M University in 2006.