FORT WORTH – TCU women's basketball head coach Mark Campbell announced the additions of Jessie Craig and Adeola Akomolafe to the Horned Frogs' coaching staff ahead of the 2023-2024 season.
 
Craig will serve as the Horned Frogs' director of operations. Akomolafe, who goes by "Ola," becomes the program's director of recruiting operations and student athlete development.
 
A 10-year coaching veteran of the sport, Craig comes to TCU following a yearlong stint as an assistant coach at NCAA Division II Regis University. She previously spent five seasons on the bench at her alma mater, Alaska Fairbanks, serving as the Nanooks' interim head coach in 2021-2022.
 
"We are very excited to add Jessie to our staff," Campbell said. "She has an incredible work ethic and is a very gifted communicator. Jessie is a relationship builder and is going to be a great mentor for our players."
 
Craig and Campbell first crossed paths during her tenure as the varsity girls basketball head coach at West Valley High School in Fairbanks, Alaska, from 2013-2017. There, she coached Ruthy Hebard, who starred at Oregon from 2017-2020 during Campbell's run as associate head coach. Campbell developed a relationship with Craig while recruiting Hebard before eventually mentoring the 6-4 forward into the No. 8 overall pick of the 2020 WNBA Draft.
 
Akomolafe's name is one Horned Frog fans and TCU women's basketball alumna surely are familiar with. The El Paso native was a five-year letter winner for the Horned Frogs from 2015-2020. She completed a two-year appointment as a graduate assistant for TCU women's basketball in May.
 
"We are thrilled to have Ola as a member of our staff," Campbell said. "She has been amazing in helping all of us transition to TCU. She played here, obtained her master's degree from TCU, and she absolutely loves everything about TCU.  Ola has a fantastic work ethic and we are lucky and excited to have her as part of our coaching staff."
 
Craig helped return Regis to the pinnacle of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) during her stay in Colorado. With Craig serving as the Rangers' lead assistant coach, Regis concluded the 2022-2023 campaign with a 25-7 overall record and 19-3 mark in league play. The Rangers swept the RMAC regular season and tournament championships for the first time since 2006-2007 on their way to earning the No. 3 overall seed in the South Central Regional of the NCAA Tournament.
 
Individually, Craig coached four players to postseason All-RMAC accolades, including guard Erin Fry, who received All-South Central Region first team and WBCA All-American honorable mention citations.
 
Throughout her tenure at Alaska Fairbanks, Craig leant her efforts to all aspects of team operations in addition to her coaching duties. She was responsible for player development and opponent scouting while also spearheading the Nanooks' strength and conditioning program.
 
The Nanooks also shined in the classroom with Craig in the program's coaching fold. Alaska Fairbanks saw 23 players earn Great Northwest Athletic Conference All-Academic honors throughout Craig's five years on the sidelines. While acting as the program's interim head coach, the Nanooks posted a 3.60 cumulative grade point average for the 2021-2022 academic year.
 
Craig broke into coaching at the high school level in her hometown at West Valley. She produced a 78-27 prep head coaching record over her four years at West Valley, leading the team to a trio of state championship tournaments and a runner-up finish in 2014-2015.
 
Her run at West Valley overlapped with an assistant coaching role with the Lathrop High School boys varsity basketball team from 2010-2014. There, Craig helped Lathrop win three regional championships and notch three state tournament appearances.
 
A Fairbanks, Alaska native, Craig enjoyed a four-year playing career for Alaska Fairbanks from 2007-2011 before transitioning to the coaching ranks. She earned a bachelor's degree in civil engineering in 2011.
 
As a graduate assistant for TCU women's basketball, Akomolafe was responsible for practice film and stat analysis. She was also responsible for opponent scouting, oversaw practice and game day operations and served as a liaison between the program and TCU athletics administration. 
 
Akomolafe's name has become synonymous with the biggest moments of the Big 12 era of TCU women's basketball. During her playing career, she guided the Horned Frogs to consecutive WNIT semifinal appearances in 2018 and 2019. The following year, she averaged a career-best 5.4 points and 5.3 rebounds per outing while making 27 starts on a Horned Frogs squad that seemed destined to return to the NCAA Tournament before the postseason was cancelled due to COVID-19.
 
For her career, Akomolafe suited up in 135 contests in purple and white and earned the starting nod on 81 occasions. She concluded her run on the frog scaled Schollmaier Arena court with 508 rebounds, 490 points, 162 assists and 78 blocks.
 
She earned Preseason All-Big 12 Honorable Mention accolades as a senior in 2018-2019 and was an Academic All-Big 12 honoree in three seasons.
 
Akomolafe completed her bachelor's degree in movement science from TCU in 2020. She obtained a master's degree in educational leadership with an emphasis in higher education from TCU in 2023.