Owls hire Sullivan as new coach
Former Tennessee, Ohio State assistant to replace Jabir
Jennifer Sullivan has been hired as FAU’s women’s basketball head coach, the program announced Thursday afternoon.
The 16-year coaching veteran replaces Jim Jabir after Jabir left Florida Atlantic last week to take over the women’s basketball coaching reins at Siena, where he previously coached from 1987-90.
Sullivan is the sixth head coach in the Owls’ program history, with her hiring being the first time she’s been the head coach at the collegiate or professional level since graduating from Memphis in 2005 after a four-year playing career.
Her contract with the program is for five years with an annual salary of $220,000, a source told the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
“Jennifer immediately stood out as we began our search and interview process,” Brian White, FAU’s athletics director, said in a statement. “I’m tremendously excited to welcome her to FAU. She brings a great deal of coaching experience and is clearly prepared for the opportunity to lead this program. She’s a proven winner and recruiter. I was impressed by her incredible passion for the student-athlete experience and the amount of respect her peers have for her.”
Sullivan had been an assistant coach with Tennessee for the past two seasons, with the Volunteers going 38-18 during her time in Knoxville, including a trip to the NCAA Tournament last season. She was an assistant coach at Ohio State the previous year (201819).
From 2013-18, Sullivan was an assistant coach at Missouri State, with the Bears posting a 93-69 record during her time with the program. Sullivan, a Jonesboro, Ark. native, was also an associate head coach at Louisiana during the 201213 season.
She was an assistant coach at Arkansas State for three years (2009-12) and coached at McNeese State for one season (2008-09) after starting her career as an assistant coach at Rhodes College (2005-07).
The Owls are coming off an 11-11 season (8-8 Conference USA) after falling to UTEP in the quarterfinals of the 2021 C-USA women’s basketball championships.
“I had a great feeling for Brian’s vision for the athletic department, and I’m excited to be a part of it,” Sullivan said in a statement. “The program is on the rise and I can’t wait to continue to build its success. I’m looking forward to building a championship program here, and there is no better place to do that than here.”