Texas Woman's University Women's Basketball

Jillsons ninth as the head coach of the Texas Womans University basketball team.  In eight seasons Jillson has guided the Pioneers to a 117-107 overall record including 64-66 in the conference.  She also became the all-time winningest basketball coach at TWU when the Pioneers defeated Texas A&M-Commerce on Dec. 13, 2011. Jillson's coaching abilities helped produce 14 All-Lone Star Conference selections, two All-Region selections, two All-Lone Star Conference Defensive Team selections, two Lone Star Conference Newcomers of the Year and one Lone Star Conference Freshman of the Year.   Last season the Pioneers advanced to their fifth Lone Star Conference Championship Tournament in the last six years and 12th overall after posting a 16-13 overall record and an 8-8 LSC record.  TWU defeated the No. 4 Tarleton State in the quarterfinals as the fifth seed and advanced to the semifinals for the second straigth season. In 2011 TWU captured the Universitys first-ever Lone Star Conference Championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament - a first in program history.  The Pioneers also set seven new school record during the 2010-11 season including wins in a season (22), conference wins (10), field goals made (788), field goals attempted (1938), 3-point field goals made (215), 3-point field goals attempted (668), and total points scored in a season (2,188). Jillson came to TWU on August 17, 2007, with an extensive amount of collegiate basketball coaching and administrative experience. From July 2006 - June 2007, she was the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Charleston Southern University, an NCAA Division I school in Charleston, South Carolina. Prior to her stint at CSU, she was the assistant coach for one year (2005-06) at New Mexico Junior College in Hobbs, New Mexico. From 2002-05, she worked for the Oklahoma State University womens basketball program. After a one-year term as the Cowgirls graduate assistant coach, she stepped up to become OSUs Director of Basketball Operations for two seasons (2003-05). She earned a Master of Science degree in Exercise Science from OSU in May 2005. A native of Fort Worth, Texas, Jillson played college basketball at Weatherford (Texas) College for two seasons (1997-99). She then moved on to play two more years (1999-01) at Hardin Simmons University in Abilene, Texas. A talented shooting guard, Jillson served as team captain and helped lead her team to the NCAA Division III Elite Eight in 2000. She also earned American Southwest All-Conference and Academic All-Conference honors in 2001. After completing her playing career in the winter of 2001, Jillson stayed with the HSU program as the Cowgirls student assistant coach for the 2001-02 season. In the spring of 2002, she completed her bachelors degree in Behavioral Science and briefly filled the role as HSUs interim head coach before leaving for Oklahoma State. Jillson is a member of the Womens Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) and has attended five WBCA Final Four Conventions. She also participated in the 2001 Baden Coaching Clinic in Las Vegas, Nevada. From 1999-2005, she was the Co-Director of Camp Goodenough, a summer basketball camp hosted by Jillsons mentor, Julie Goodenough. Jillson also has AAU coaching experience. Jillson and her husband, Zane, a football coach at John H. Guyer High School, make their home in Denton with their daughter Madison and son Paxton.    THE JILLSON FILE 

Taylor Drake joins the Pioneers as an Assistant Coach in 2024. Most recently, before coming to TWU, Drake worked as a graduate assistant basketball coach at Cameron University, a member of the LSC, from 2022-24. While a graduate assistant, Drake assisted athletes in practice, helped coordinate recruiting efforts, helped with all scouting reports and grew her overall knowledge of coaching Division II. Drake took the intiative to grow and learn in numerous areas while working at Cameron. She also helped coach an All-LSC player while with the Aggies.  While working as a graduate assistant basketball coach, Drake pursued her Master of Science in General Psychology. She additionally worked at Sunny Days Sunshine Center as a Registered Behavior Technician. In this position, she worked one-on-one with children with autism and neurodivergence, helping to develop communication skills and assisting in evaluating the child's needs, goals and overall development. From 2016-18, Drake played Division I basketball at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). While playing center for the Jaguars for two seasons, she appeared in 28 games. She grabbed 39 rebounds, scored 54 points and averaged 48.9% from the field. She helped lead the Jaguars to a runner-up finish at the Summit League Conference Championships in 2017 and back-to-back WNIT postseason appearances. Following her two seasons at IUPUI, Drake transferred to the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater to continue her education. While there, Drake played club volleyball and helped guide her team to a second place finish in the state of Wisconsin. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 2021 with a bachelor's degree in sociology and a minor in psychology, Drake continued to pursue her passion for basketball coaching at Cameron and is now excited to continue to grow at TWU.