Jim Jabir has been named Florida Atlantic Universitys head womens basketball coach. Jabirs coaching achievements have twice earned him recognition as a finalist for the National Coach of the Year Award. He will be the fifth coach to guide the Owls program. We are ecstatic to welcome Coach Jabir and his family to Florida Atlantic, said Vice President and Director of Athletics Pat Chun. Coach Jabir brings an extraordinary track record of developing student-athletes at championship levels. Coach Jabir will make an immediate and lasting impact on our student-athletes, basketball program and university. Jabir holds a 458-363 record in his 29-year head coaching career at five collegiate programs. He is highly regarded among the coaching ranks for having built the foundation of success for the womens basketball programs at both Marquette University and University of Dayton. Simply put, he is known as a program builder. I wanted to be the women’s coach at FAU after talking with Pat Chun, Melissa Dawson, and Dr. Kelly about their vision and commitment to building a great women’s basketball program, said Jabir. I made the decision to return to college coaching because I love building programs and helping young people achieve their goals. This time away from college coaching has refreshed me and made me a better coach. I’d like to thank Dr. Kelly, Pat Chun, and Melissa Dawson for having faith in me to lead this program. The Brooklyn, N.Y. native comes to FAU having previously served 13 seasons as the head coach for the University of Dayton. Jabir tallied a 238-140 (.629 winning percentage) mark at UD, making him the programs all-time wins leader. At UD, Jabir led his teams to six-consecutive NCAA appearances (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015) including the program’s first NCAA Regional Final in 2015, two post-season Women’s National Invitation appearances, three-consecutive Atlantic 10 (A-10) Finals, the program’s first A-10 Women’s Basketball Tournament title in 2012, followed by the program’s first A-10 Regular Season Championship in 2013. In 2014, Jabir led the Flyers to another A-10 Regular Season crown. Under his guidance, 27 players were named A-10 All-Conference performers while the Flyers undoubtedly enjoyed their programs most successful stint in modern program history. Under Jabir, success is more of a rule than the exception. The two-time A-10 Coach of the Year transformed the Flyer program from a 3-25 record in his first season to their highest national ranking at No. 11 in both the AP and USA Today Coaches Polls in 2013. In his last six seasons, UD accrued a 162-60 overall record (.730) and posted an 81-23 record (.779) in conference games. In one of the program’s most successful seasons, Jabir led the Flyers to the Elite Eight® in 2014-15 with NCAA Tournament wins over Iowa State, No. 11/11 Kentucky and No. 8/8 Louisville before falling to eventual national champion No. 1/1 Connecticut. Dayton ended the season ranked No. 17 nationally in the final USA Today Coaches’ Poll. At seasons end, graduating seniors Andrea Hoover and Ally Malott were each selected in the 2015 WNBA draft – Malott became the program’s first WBNA selection as the eighth overall pick while Hoover was chosen 31st. Prior to UD, Jabir was at the helm of Providence College for six seasons, 1996-2002. During his last three years with the program, the Friars’ record improved with each season. He also spent six years at Marquette University elevating the Golden Eagles into the national spotlight and became one of the most successful coaches in the history of the program. After posting a 7-20 record during his inaugural year (1990-91) at Marquette, Jabir guided his team to four-consecutive winning seasons, two 20-plus win seasons and three post-season appearances, including back-to-back bids to the NCAA Tournament. In 1994-95, Marquette won the Great Midwest Conference Tournament, the first tournament championship in school history. This followed the 1993-94 campaign in which Jabir compiled a program-best 22-7 overall record and its first trip to the NCAA Tournament. Jabir was a two-time Reebok/Great Midwest Conference Coach of the Year while at Marquette. He began his coaching career as an assistant at Nazareth College (1984-85) and at Buffalo State (1985-86). Jabir was instrumental in leading the Bengals to a 23-3 slate, the SUNYAC title, a 22-game win streak, an NCAA Regional Tournament appearance and a national ranking (No. 3) during the 1985-86 season. Jabir served as the head coach of the Siena Saints for three seasons (1987-90) and compiled a 50-29 record. Jabir’s teams posted three-consecutive winning seasons. He is a 1984 graduate of Nazareth College in Rochester, N.Y., where he received a degree in English. He also earned a masters degree in student personnel administration from Buffalo State in 1986. Jabirs immediate family is comprised of his wife Angie and three children, Lauren, Shane and Jackson.
