Florida Atlantic University Athletics

Jim Jabir was named Florida Atlantic University’s head women’s basketball coach in April 2017. He joined the program as just the fifth head coach in the Owls’ 37-year history. With a 514-446 overall record and over 30 years as a head coach, Jabir is one of the nation’s most experienced and winningest coaches.

The 2020-21 team finished the COVID-19 pandemic shortened season at .500 with an 11-11 record. FAU registered eight Conference USA wins, which is the most in the Owls' days of belonging to the league since 2013. During C-USA play, the Owls snapped UTEP's nine-game winning streak with a huge road win in El Paso, Texas. The Owls beat WKU to break a 12-game losing streak against the Lady Toppers and win at E.A. Diddle Arena for the first time in school history. FAU also won their first C-USA Tournament game with a 72-66 feat over UAB to earn a spot into the C-USA Quarterfinals.

During the 2020-21 season, Jabir coached Iggy Allen, who went on to win C-USA Newcomer of the Year, as well as C-USA First Team and C-USA Defensive Team honors. Allen finished the year ranked as the No. 2 scorer (22.2 PPG) and No. 3 rebounder (10.9 RPG) in C-USA. The 2020-21 team finished the year as the No. 2 rebounding team in C-USA (42.4 RPG) and second best in blocks (4.09 BPG).

Jabir reached a huge milestone in his coaching career during the 2019-20 season, earning his 500th career win. FAU took down in-state rival FIU in Miami after a 64-61 overtime victory to clinch the 500th feat. Jabir became the 74th women’s collegiate basketball coach to achieve 500 wins and is also one of 36 active Division I women’s basketball coaches with 500 or more victories.

During the 2019-20 season, Jabir led a squad consisting of 15 underclassmen. FAU took down former Sun Belt foe Little Rock (79-72) for the first time in school history after 10 previous meetings. In that game, Crystal Primm racked up a career-high 31 points and would go on to earn a nod to the Conference USA Second Team. Primm also became Jabir’s first C-USA Player of the Week after she had a stellar three-game stretch. Primm ended the season sitting in the top-10 in C-USA in points per game (15.4) and rebounds per game (8.0), and was one of the best in the NCAA at getting to the free throw line, ending seventh in in attempts (214) and 29th in makes (137) in the country. Jabir was instrumental in the development of freshman standout Lotta Vehka-Aho. The Finland product was named C-USA Freshman of the Week twice during the season.

Other accomplishments celebrated include beating Charlotte for the first time since 2015 (65-44), sweeping FIU for the first time since 2016 and achieving FAU’s 300th Division I victory. The Owls put up the third most 3-pointers in a season in program history (211), which was fourth in the conference, while tallying the fourth best free throw percentage in school history (71.7).

In 2018-19, Jabir welcomed nine newcomers to Paradise, including eight true freshmen - the most of any NCAA D I team in the country that year. Freshman Juliette Gauthier led the team in scoring, averaging 11.2 points per game, making her the second leading freshmen scorer in C-USA. Gauthier was one of just two C-USA freshmen to rank in the top 20 in the league in rebounding and top 25 in scoring. Freshman Amber Gaston also had an impressive year for the Owls, averaging 7.7 points per game and 4.5 rebounds for Jabir. She shot 51 percent from the field, which was the best shooting percentage from a C-USA freshman.

In his first season at the helm of the FAU program, Jabir guided the Owls to a seventh-place finish in the conference, the program’s best finish since joining the league in 2013. The nine-win record bump under his guidance was the fourth best turnaround in the country and the second best improvement under a coach in his/her first season with their respective programs. In just one season, Jabir and his staff put together one of the top rebounding teams in the country, averaging 42.3 boards per game. That rate was the highest in C-USA and 18th nationally. The team also led the conference in defensive rebounding, averaging 29 per game.

At the end of the season, the Owls finished in the top half of 11 different statistical categories in C-USA, including having the third highest scoring offense in the league despite losing over half of the offensive production from the previous season. FAU averaged 70.0 points per game in 2017-18, the highest by an Owl team since 2013-14 and up seven points from the previous season. The offensive production was thanks in part due to Jabir’s trademark fast-paced offense and high volume three-point shooting. Under Jabir’s coaching, senior Sasha Cedeño transformed her game to average 17.2 points per game and 8.0 rebounds per game. At the end of the season, Cedeño was honored as an All-Conference second team member.

Prior to joining FAU, the Brooklyn, New York native spent 13 seasons as the University of Dayton’s head women’s basketball coach and left as the program’s all-time wins leader. Jabir tallied a 238-140 mark at UD. He led teams to six-consecutive NCAA appearances (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015) – including guiding UD to the program’s first NCAA Regional Final in 2015, two post-season Women’s National Invitation appearances, three-consecutive Atlantic 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 title in 2013. Jabir led the Flyers to another A-10 Regular Season crown in 2014. Under his guidance, 27 players were named A-10 All-Conference performers while the Flyers undoubtedly enjoyed their program’s most successful stint in modern day history.

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 Associated Press and USA Today Coaches polls in 2013. In his last six seasons, UD accrued a 162-60 overall record (.730 winning percentage) and posted an 81-23 record (.779 winning percentage) in A-10 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 and six members of the squad received A-10 honors.

In 2013-14, Jabir’s UD squad posed a 23-8 record with a winning percentage of .742 and held the A-10’s number one spot for defensive rebounding and shots blocked. Dayton finished the year with a heart-breaking loss to in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

After losing seven seniors from the squad that won the 2012 A-10 Tournament title, the bar was set high for a young 2012-13 team, but they rose to the challenge. They set the school-record for greatest number of wins in a season (28) since becoming a DI program in 1986. Jabir was named a finalist for the 2013 Naismith National Coach of the Year award after posting a career-high winning percentage (.903) with the sixth youngest team in the nation.

The Flyers won three in-season tournaments, defeated five BCS teams in 2012-13 and advanced to its fourth-consecutive NCAA tournament with its highest seed in program history at No. 7. Dayton advanced to the NCAA Second Round with a thrilling double overtime 96-90 win over host St. John’s. Dayton went unbeaten at home during the 2012-13 season and the Flyers averaged 2,739 fans per home game - the best in the A-10 and among the Top 40 in the nation.

The 2011-12 Dayton women’s basketball team posted a 23-7 record. The Flyers lost three of their first six games of the season but went on to win a then-program-best 12 league games (12-2). UD won three games in three days to claim its first-ever A-10 Women’s Basketball Championship title, culminating with a 56-53 victory over No. 16/22 St. Bonaventure. In winning the A-10 Championship, the Flyers advanced to their third-consecutive NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship. Dayton earned the No. 11 seed in the tournament setting up a matchup with No. 6 seed Arkansas. In the final AP Top 25 Poll, the Flyers received 10 votes, coming in at No. 31 overall. The Flyers finished No. 37 in the final RPI Poll.

With its 21-12 record in 2010-11, UD had posted 20+ wins for four-consecutive seasons. Dayton advanced to the A-10 Championship final for the first time in school history. The Flyers advanced to their fourth-consecutive postseason, including their second-straight NCAA at-large berth. Also during the 2010-11 season, Jabir became the all-time wins leader with the Flyers’ 102-69 victory over Toledo on Dec. 5.

The 2009-10 team finished the year with a 25-8 overall mark and the Flyers made their fourth postseason appearance – third-straight. The 2009-10 postseason was the first at the NCAA DI Tournament for the program. The 2009-10 season opener foreshadowed what would come with the Flyers knocking off No. 10 Michigan State in its season opener. The first victory of a top-10 opponent in the program’s history. The Flyers continued their firsts and bests throughout the season; appearing for the first time in the AP and USA Today/ESPN Top 25 polls, and received votes in at least one of the polls the entire 20 weeks of the season. UD went 11-3 in A-10 action and earned the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament, its highest ever. Dayton had a school record five players go on to earn A-10 accolades. The dream season continued as Brittany Wilson scored just before the buzzer, and the eighth-seeded Flyers rallied from an 18-point deficit to beat No. 9 seed TCU, 67-66, in the opening round of the NCAA women’s tournament at the University of Tennessee on March 20, 2010. Jabir was one of 10 coaches named a finalist for the Kay Yow Coach of the Year Award.

In 2009, when defeating nationally-ranked Xavier in the quarterfinals behind a group of underclassmen, it was more than just “luck.” The win marked a significant moment for a team and a program on the rise. At the time, the Flyers’ 21-14 record in 2008-09 was the second-most wins since the program turned DI and UD finished the year with the most postseason individual honors ever.

Jabir was named the 2008 A-10 Coach of the Year after mentoring the Flyers to a modern-program record, 25-9. The Flyers went on to earn their second postseason berth in modern history with a trip to the WNIT.

UD improved by 13 victories from 2006-07 to 2007-08 on the strength of a school-record 16-game winning streak that was the longest in the nation at one point. The Flyers also earned their first ever votes in the AP Top 25 Poll in 2007-08 as they were listed in two different weeks.

UD returned to the A-10 Quarterfinals at the conclusion of the 2006-07 season, marking the third time in school history the Flyers had advanced past their opening round in the A-10 Tournament.

Jabir and Dayton continued the trend in 2005-06 with an improvement of five more wins, giving UD the second best improvement over a two-year span in the nation. Dayton advanced to the quarterfinals of the A-10 Tournament and finished with a winning record for the first time in five years and two Flyers earned A-10 All-Conference accolades.

In addition to the strides made in 2007-08, UD had the fourth best single-season turnaround in the nation in the 2004-05 season with an improvement of nine wins over the previous campaign.

Prior to UD, Jabir served one season as an assistant coach at Colorado, a season that the Buffaloes (24-8) advanced to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament and were ranked as high as No. 23 in the ESPN/Coaches’ Poll and No. 24 in the AP Poll. Jabir was primarily responsible for the development of CU’s post players, including the Buffaloes’ first-ever First Team All-Big 12 selection. While at Colorado, Jabir drew upon his previous 16 seasons as a head coach at either the Big East Conference or the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference institutions.

Jabir was at the helm of Providence College for six seasons, 1996-2002, after his time at Marquette University. During his last three years with the program, the Friars’ record improved with each season.

Prior to Providence, Jabir spent six years at Marquette, elevating the Golden Eagles into the national spotlight, as he became one of the most successful coaches in the history of the program. After posting a 7-20 record during his inaugural year at Marquette (1990-91), Jabir guided his team to four-consecutive winning seasons, two 20-plus winning seasons and three postseason 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.

Jabir went to Siena College from Buffalo State, where he served as the head coach of the Saints for three seasons (1987-90) and compiled a 50-29 record. Jabir’s teams posted three-consecutive winning seasons. In his first year, Jabir was responsible for the development of Siena’s first Freshman All-American.

After one season as an assistant, Jabir became the head coach at Buffalo State during the 1986-87 season at the age of 24. He led that team to a 14-11 record and guided the Bengals to the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Championship and an appearance in the Division III Tournament.

Jabir began his coaching career as an assistant at Nazareth College (1984-85) and Buffalo State (1985-86). Jabir was instrumental in leading the Bengals to a 23-3 slate, the SUNYAC title, a 22-game winning streak, an NCAA regional tournament appearance and a national ranking (No. 3) during the 1985-86 season.

He is a 1984 graduate of Nazareth College in Rochester, New York, where he received a degree in English. He also earned a master’s degree in student personnel administration from Buffalo State in 1986.

Jabir’s family is comprised of his wife Angie and their son Jude. He also has three children, Lauren, Shane and Jackson.

Jim Jabir Year-By-Year