Coach Jason James was named the new head coach on April 28, 2025. Coach James took over as interim head coach on December 13, 2024. Coach James led The Devilettes to 6 conference wins in SWAC most wins in the two previous season combined. Also, earning a bid in the conference championship in Atlanta for the first time since 2018-19 season and the devilettes first win in tournament since 2012 over FAMU, Coach James also swept archrival Alcorn State and ended the regular season with a win against the other big rival Jackson State.
Coach Jason James came to Mississippi Valley State University in the summer of 2022 from Allen University in Columbia, South Carolina in which he served four years as Head Women’s Basketball and the last three years as the Head Men’s Basketball Coach.
Coach James brought life to a program that has never seen success. The 2015-16 A.I.I. Coach of the Year led the Lady Yellow Jackets to their first Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.) Conference Championship and the first in the Women's Program in just his second year. The Lady Yellow Jackets finished 19-12 in the 2014-15 season after only winning nine games the previous year. The Lady Yellow Jackets joined the Appalachian Athletic Conference in 2016-17. Coach James had 10 All-Academic players and coached two All-AAC performers in Kamya Thomas (1st team) and Dekoya Mack (2nd Team). The Lady Jackets finished 13-18 and 9-14 in their first year in the AAC. Coach James and his recruiting skills led the Lady Yellow Jackets to their first 20-win season in 2017-18 season and made it to the AAC semifinals before falling to eventual champion Bryan College.Â
Following the 2017-18 season Coach James was hired to take over the Men’s Basketball program. In his first year, the Yellow Jackets beat five top 25 teams and returned to the AAC Tournament before losing to the eventual champion Union College. Coach led the Yellow Jackets in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) of the NAIA in his first two seasons. The Yellow Jackets improved from finish 8th to 3rd in their final two seasons as a member of the NAIA. In his final year Allen University made the transition to NCAA Division II and joined the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC). The Yellow Jackets played a shortened NCAA Division II schedule due COVID-13 but they finished 6-6 with a big win against national ranked Augusta University.
Coach James was also named one of the top minority coaches in the NAIA by the Black Coaches Association.
Prior to Allen University, James worked for Benedict College Athletics for 15 years. Originally, James began his career at Benedict as a student assistant to then Lady Tigers Head Coach Cedric Baker in 2001. That year, the team played in postseason play for the first time in Benedict’s history at the NAIA Championship Tournament in Jackson, TN.
In 2002, James moved to the Men’s basketball program as an Assistant Coach when Coach Fred Watson was hired to take over the program. and when the Tigers made the move from NAIA to NCAA Division II. Coach James, strong recruiting skills helped the Tigers win their first Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship in 2004 defeating defending champion Morehouse in the Championship game.
After that season, the Tigers became the powerhouse of the conference winning three more conference tournament championships, five regular season titles and eight trips to NCAA Division II Tournament including a trip to the regional championship (Sweet 16) in 2008.
A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Coach James is a graduate from Winton Woods High School. Jason graduated from Benedict College where he earned a bachelor’s degree in communications (Media Arts) in 2004. Jason also served in The U.S. Army National Guard from 1997-2004.
Coach James resides in Itta Bena, Mississippi, and has three children: Caleb, Jason II, Ja’Iona.
Coach James intends to help get the SWAC Championship back to the Delta. With his recruiting skills and his 20 years of coaching experience and his great staff he expects to accomplish that goal.
