Athletic director Adrian Dowell ushered in a new era for the Omaha women’s basketball program this month, hiring former WNBA player Jamie Carey as the Mavericks’ new head coach.
Carey comes to Omaha after serving as associate head coach at UTSA for four seasons. The Roadrunners earned their first winning record since 2014-15 in 2023-24, and they shattered the program record with 26 wins this past season, capturing the AAC regular season title.
She began her college coaching career at Colorado in 2014, spending two seasons in Boulder before returning to her alma mater, Texas. She spent four seasons in Austin, two as an assistant coach and two as the associate head coach. The Longhorns went 95-37 (.720) and reached two Sweet 16s during her time on staff.
Carey spent the 2020-21 season as associate head coach at North Texas before heading to UTSA, where she reunited with Karen Alston, the head coach she worked under at Texas.
Born in Hutchinson, Kansas, and raised in Colorado, Carey started her college career at Stanford. The 5-foot-6 point guard earned Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and broke Stanford’s single-season record with 81 3-pointers, shooting 45.3% from deep. However, ankle injuries and a concussion forced her into retirement following her first season. She spent the next two years away from the game.
Carey transferred to Texas in 2002, where university doctors cleared her to resume playing. She spent three seasons with the Longhorns, helping Texas reach to Final Four and earning Big 12 Newcomer of the Year in 2002-23. She was a two-time first-team All-Big 12 selection, averaging better than 10 points and shooting better than 40% from 3 all three seasons in Austin.
The Phoenix Mercury drafted Carey with the 31st pick in the 2005 WNBA Draft, though she later signed with the Connecticut Sun and spent her entire professional career there. Carey played in 120 games during her four seasons, helping the Sun reach the WNBA Finals as a rookie.
The process of hiring Carey happened very quickly. She said that she felt like Omaha was the right place for her to continue her coaching career.
“[Chancellor Joanne] Li and Adrian, I think I align with their philosophy, their passion, and everything that comes with their leadership,” Carey said during her introductory press conference. “So I was comfortable with that, I was inspired by it.”
With the growth of women’s sports around the country, she said that she’s excited to help the Mavericks build up their program in a state known to support women’s athletics.
“Women’s sports is in a great position,” Carey said. “Being a former player, I’m proud of where the game is. It’s exciting, it’s a great time to be in the game, and I think this region in particular loves women’s sports.”
Dowell announced in April that former coach Carrie Banks would not be returning to the program after accumulating a record of 51-89 (.364) over five seasons. Less than two weeks later, he introduced Carey as the program’s new head coach.
“She’ll have an opportunity to build this roster in her image, and we’re really excited what this program will look like,” Dowell said. “Especially with the student athletes we’ll have on the roster two, three, four years from now.”
As for her vision of the team, she said that she wants players who are willing to give their all to help the team succeed.
“I love competitors,” Carey said. “I love winners because it takes something different and once you win you understand it. I love kids that are passionate about basketball and want to live in the gym, and want to compete for each other, and want to compete for the university, and are fearless. Those are the type of kids that I’m looking for.”
The Mavericks have had a lot of success in the athletic department as of late. This includes the men’s basketball team winning the Summit League regular season and tournament titles and making it to March Madness for the first time in school history in 2025. The softball team captured the Summit League title for the third consecutive year this season as well. The recent success in these sports made the job very attractive.
“The winning nature of the athletic department, they’re obviously doing something right here,” Carey said. “I want to be a part of that. I want to try to help create history with the women’s basketball program.”
Carey has big plans for the Mavericks.
“I’m looking to win the league, win the conference,” Carey said. “So I’ve got to build to be able to do that. That’s the long-term goal.”
