Photo courtesy of Radford University
Marty Gordon
NRVsports@mainstreetnewspapers.com
A 2010 graduate of Blacksburg High School is returning to her alma mater as its new girls’ basketball coach.
Jodeci Houston graduated from Blacksburg in 2010, where she played under Roger Henderson and the late Mickey McGuigan. She was officially introduced as the girls coach earlier this month.
“In high school, I embraced my role as the sixth man and focused on contributing wherever the team needed me most. I didn’t play basketball in college, but I stayed involved in the sport through coaching and athletic training roles that deepened my understanding of the game.”
Houston said she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to return to Blacksburg High School.
“I’m passionate about working with today’s youth and helping them grow. Coming back to my alma mater and having the chance to build my own program feels like the perfect way to give back and live out a lifelong dream,” she said.
While attending Virginia Tech, she worked as a student athletic trainer with both the VT football and women’s basketball programs and also assisted with a local AAU team in Christiansburg. During her final two undergraduate years at Radford University, she completed internships with Virginia Amateur Sports as an Operations Intern and with Virginia Tech softball team as an Assistant Director of Operations Intern.
After college, she moved to Northern Virginia and assisted with the Massaponax High School girls’ basketball program and served as head coach for two AAU programs, The Virginia Sting and The Alexandria Hustle.
In 2019, Houston returned to the New River Valley and transitioned to coaching boys’ basketball through the Xtreme AAU program. She has also served as the Assistant Director of Operations for Radford University’s women’s basketball program.
More recently, Houston served as an assistant coach for Christiansburg High School’s girls varsity team in 2022, head coach for the Christiansburg Middle School boys basketball Navy team in 2023, and most recently, head junior varsity coach for Christiansburg High School girls’ basketball. She also helped launch a girls AAU team through the Xtreme AAU program.
“It’s truly a full-circle and surreal moment for me,” said Houston. “I’m filled with gratitude toward Blacksburg High School for trusting me with the opportunity to lead the program I once played for. I’m excited to take the program—from the middle school level all the way up—and focus on rebuilding, creating a strong family atmosphere, and putting Blacksburg girls’ basketball back in the conversation where it belongs,” she said.
Her goal as a coach is to bring the love and passion back to basketball.
“There’s been a decline in girls’ basketball across the NRV, and I want to be part of changing that. I want to rebuild Blacksburg into a program that’s respected across the region—a team opponents know will play with discipline, intensity, and heart. It will take time, but I’m fully committed to putting in the work and leading this program back to being a true powerhouse.”