Chambana Sun

Illinois assistant women's basketball coach Jackie Alexander has been chosen to attend the 2025 TopConnect Basketball Symposium. The event will occur at the Marriott Village at Lake Buena Vista in Orlando, Florida, on June 9.

TopConnect, created by ETSU athletic director Dr. Richard Sander, aims to connect top assistant basketball coaches with mid-major athletic directors. This symposium offers networking and leadership development opportunities for attendees.

"I am extremely grateful to participate in TopConnect," said Alexander. "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 Illinois as an assistant coach in April after working at Toledo during the 2024-25 season. Her previous coaching roles included positions at East Tennessee State (2021-24), Eastern Kentucky (2019-21), Albany (2018-19), and Air Force (2017-18).

Originally from Broadhead, Kentucky, Alexander served as an Army officer following her undergraduate studies at Army West Point and the University of the Cumberlands. She reached the rank of captain and was stationed at Fort Campbell in Kentucky, with a deployment to Iraq.

This year marks Alexander's fourth consecutive appearance at TopConnect since she first attended in 2022. In 2024, she was invited to the WBCA Next Generation Institute and was named to the WBCA Thirty Under 30 List in 2021.

TopConnect is now in its eighth year and continues to provide educational programming for assistant coaches through talks from successful leaders and speakers.