Jackie Luckhardt enters her third season as the women's basketball team's lead assistant coach in 2024-25.
She and the Bobcats enjoyed a 2023-24 campaign that saw Bates win 24 games and advance to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament for the third time in program history.
"We are excited to welcome Jackie to the Bates women's basketball family," said head coach Alison Montgomery upon Luckhardt's hiring in 2023. "Jackie brings a passion and intelligence to the game that has immediately impacted our program. She was a successful player, leader, and teammate who will successfully mentor and support the young women in our program. We are thrilled to take on the challenge of another season with Jackie on our sideline!"
Luckhardt joined the Bobcats after recently her master's degree in leadership studies from the University of Southern Maine. A star on the hardwood for USM, the former All-Little East Conference selection became only the second USM women's basketball student-athlete to record at least 1000 points, 500 rebounds, 300 assists and 300 steals in her career.
Raised in Londonderry, N.H., the standout guard was named to the Maine Women's Basketball Coaches Association (MWBCA) All-Rookie Team as a first-year during the 2015-16 campaign. An all-academic selection on multiple occasions, Luckhardt earned the prestigious Paula D. Hodgdon Leadership Award in 2020, an award presented by the USM Department of Athletics to the female student-athlete "who exemplifies the qualities of Hodgdon, a former member of the USM faculty and athletic department staff, and a pioneer in women's athletics."
"I want to thank Coach Montgomery and Bates for this opportunity to join this prestigious program and community," Luckhardt said. "As a coach, I am excited to continue to impact the game that I have loved ever since my youth. I look forward to sharing my knowledge and experiences with the student-athletes and to help them become successful in sport and life."
