Following a near decade in an assistant role, Canyon graduate Jordan Vessels is getting her opportunity after being named the 15th Wayland Baptist Flying Queens head basketball coach back in April.
Wayland Baptist University Athletics has named Jordan Vessels the 15th Head Coach in Flying Queens history.
Vessels has served as an assistant coach and director of operations for the Texas Tech Lady Raider basketball program for the past six years. Prior to joining the Lady Raider staff, Vessels had previous coaching stops at West Texas A&M (graduate assistant) and UT-Arlington (two seasons as director of operations and two seasons as assistant coach).
The rest of this story is only for subscribers.
During her first four years at Texas Tech, Vessels was tasked with managing the program’s budget and coordinating travel operations. She was then promoted to assistant coach before the start of the 2023-24 season where she assumed a key player development role.
Prior to her coaching career, Vessels was a standout player for the WTAMU Lady Buffs playing in 126 career games, which is tied ninth for most games played in Lady Buff history.
Vessels recently took time of out her busy schedule to catch up with Press Pass Sports about her new role and her goals for the Flying Queens program.
You’ve always wanted to be a head coach since you graduated high school. How excited are you for this opportunity?
“I’m very excited. It’s a little surreal. I have to pinch myself that this is happening. I don’t take it lightly and I’m leading this historic program. This is a program that has more wins than a lot of prestigious Division I schools have. It’s my job to make sure that we get more. The only thing missing is a NAIA National Championship banner. My goal is to make that happen.”
What is Wayland Baptist getting in Jordan Vessels?
“You’re going to see a very tough, gritty style of basketball. It’s something people around here are very accustomed to in the Texas Panhandle especially with women’s basketball. We’re going to get up and down the floor and turn are defense into offense. You’re going to see a coach that loves her players off the court as much as on the court. If you look at what Mark Kellogg did at West Texas A&M and now at West Virginia, you’re going to see that here at Wayland. Most of all you’ll see a team that loves to compete.”
Was it difficult to part ways working for a longtime mentor like Krista Gerlich?
“It was. You have the comfortability. Coach Gerlich has been that consistency for me over all these years but at the same time I was ready to move forward and I was getting to a point where I need a change. I loved Texas Tech, and I loved being on her staff, but Wayland made the call, and I couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity.”
What is one thing that coach Gerlich taught you and that you will take with you into this head coaching role?
“I would say how to have a great culture and how to treat people. Anyone that has been around coach Gerlich knows she treats people the right way. She knows how to gain that trust whether it’s her coaches or the players. It taught me how to get on the ground level with these young kids. It’s not always about the X’s and O’s. She really taught me how to connect with people.”
Being at the Division I level for so long, what can you bring to the NAIA level?
“The resources are different obviously, but I think I can bring a relentless mentality to recruiting. At the Division I level it never stops getting the edge up. Being at the Big 12 level we played against the best coaches, so I think I learned how to prepare and how to scout. I was a part of so many scout meetings and learning the opponent. That was one thing that was very key for me.”
Have you talked to your high school coach Joe Lombard since you’ve gotten the Wayland Baptist job?
“I have. He reached the day I got the job. He and Babs were super excited for me. He’s always so great and has always been there for me. He told me how proud he was and that he and Babs were Wayland alums and he’ll be there to come watch some games and support. That meant so much to me. I still go to him for advice, and I love having him in my corner.”
I heard you had a Texas Tech Lady Raider legend help you get the Wayland job?
“Coach Gerlich called me down to the office during the Women’s Invitational Tournament in Florida. She said Marsha Sharp wanted to put my name in for the job. I then leaned on coach Sharp pretty heavily and she played a big role getting me this job. I couldn’t believe it. That’s just the type of person she is and her career started at Wayland, so this place is special to her. She has showed me around here and loves this place. It was an honor and very special to have coach Sharp be in my corner.”