YOUNGSTOWN — Youngstown State has found a new head coach to lead its women’s basketball program.

On Thursday afternoon, YSU announced that current Cleveland State assistant coach and former Akron head coach Melissa Jackson would be named the Penguins’ next coach after the resignation of former head coach John Barnes.

Barnes initially took a leave of absence before the start of the 2023-2024 season and officially tendered his resignation on Jan. 19. John Nicolais served first as acting head coach, before being named interim head coach for the remainder of the season. The Penguins finished 14-18 overall and 9-11 in the Horizon League this season under Nicolais.

“We’re thrilled to have someone of Coach Jackson’s quality and history in Northeast Ohio lead our program,” YSU Executive Director of Athletics Ron Strollo said in a press release. “I firmly believe she has the passion, skillset and vision to push our women’s basketball program to new levels. I’m confident our fans will be energized by the brand of basketball that she will bring to Beeghly Center and enjoy getting to know her family and her off the court.”

“Coach Jackson has shown throughout her career that she excels in skill development, which will help bring out the best in our returning student-athletes. She has also spent the better part of two decades in Northeast Ohio establishing relationships with coaches and student-athletes, and we’re excited to see the high-quality future Penguins she will recruit from high school and the transfer portal.”

Jackson signed her coaching contract Thursday afternoon shortly before YSU made the announcement. YSU will formally introduce her as head coach during a press conference Monday.

“YSU is a program that I am very familiar with and have always had a tremendous amount of respect for,” Jackson said in the release. “There is an immense amount of support and pride in the Penguin family! My staff and I will work tirelessly, approaching everything we do with a championship mindset. My family and I are so excited to become a part of the Youngstown and YSU community! I cannot wait to meet our phenomenal young women and get to work! Go Penguins!”

Before being named as the Penguins’ coach, Jackson served as an assistant on Cleveland State’s staff this past season, where she helped lead the Vikings to the Horizon League regular season championship and a runner-up finish in the Horizon League tournament.

After Cleveland State’s loss to Green Bay in the tournament final on Tuesday, head coach Chris Kielsmeier praised his coaching staff, which included Jackson.

“I just want to thank our staff,” Kielsmeier said during the postgame press conference. “Our staff is incredible. … You get to work with people that are so invested, and a lot of times they don’t get much credit. It’s not the day we wanted as Vikings, but we got great people here.”

Prior to her time in Cleveland, Jackson spent 15 years at Akron. She started off as an assistant coach for four seasons and then served as associate head coach for six seasons, before being named head coach of the Zips in 2018.

In five years as head coach, Jackson led the Zips to two postseason appearances and maintained the best winning percentage in program history (.511) with a record of 72-69.

When Jackson took over the Zips head coaching job, she was initially given a five-year contract. In her fifth and final season as head coach with Akron in 2022-2023, the Zips began the season 12-2 before finishing 17-13. Before the end of the year, Jackson was informed by the university that it would not be extending her contract.

Before her stint with Akron, Jackson was an assistant coach for four seasons at Delaware, helping lead the Blue Hens to a CAA regular season title, two WNIT appearances and an NCAA tournament berth.

Jackson is a graduate of the University of Richmond, where she played for the Spiders for four years.

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