How Jacie Hoyt Got Here

Coach Jacie Named Head Women's Basketball Coach at Oklahoma State
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STILLWATER – Scott and Shelly Hoyt's second-oldest daughter never had a chance.

Scott and Shelly both coached basketball and to say Shelly is a legend may be an understatement. With more than 550 career victories, she ranks second all-time among female head coaches in the Kansas High School basketball ranks.

Competition was practically a way of life for the Hoyt family in the small town of Hoxie, Kansas - population 1,200. The four Hoyt girls, Tabitha, Jacie, Corinna and Terran, competed in everything from basketball to who could bring in the most groceries from the car to the house at one time.

The Hoyt family, you see, feels strongly about winning.

It feels even stronger about losing.

It's true, Jacie Hoyt never had a chance – she was destined for a life in basketball.

A life that has brought her to Oklahoma State, where she was recently named head women's basketball coach and where she and the Cowgirls will slug it out with some of college basketball's best in the Big 12 Conference. Titles don't come easy in the Big 12, but underestimate Jacie Hoyt's competitive nature at your own peril.

"I learned about being bold and courageous from my parents. They taught me to always be myself and not back down from anything that may come my way," Hoyt said. "They instilled confidence within me and taught me that if you work hard and do things with integrity, then good things will happen."

Prior to moving to Oklahoma State, she was transformational for a Kansas City program that won at a much higher rate during her time as head coach than it did prior to her arrival. She did it with her signature fiery nature, passion and energy – traits she picked up in her early development by watching her mother, Shelly.

"She gave me a blueprint for how to coach," Hoyt said. "I watched her operate - and succeed - in what was a man's world. She overcame a lot of obstacles and that had a huge impact on my coaching career and philosophy.

"I watched her build program after program after program. I watched her use the game to impact players' lives and help them achieve things they never thought they could."

Having that kind of influence in her life was important, especially in the difficult times. Jacie was a standout basketball player in her own right, but while in high school, she tore her ACL. Then right before her freshman year in college, she tore it again. And then did it again. And again. Four times, in total.

"I would have never chosen this as the story for myself. I was told numerous times by doctors to stop playing, but that's not me. I've never seen quitting as an option," Hoyt said. "What I believe is that any challenge or obstacle that comes our way, we have a choice and I choose to never play the victim."

"Playing after those injuries helped shaped me. I got to see the game from a different lens. I got a taste of being the star player and a taste of watching from the sidelines. When I look back now, that expedited my coaching career and helped shape my philosophy and approach. It gave me the ability to connect with my players and empathize with them."

Understanding Hoyt's past makes it easy to see why she lists toughness, grit, passion, hard work and competitiveness among her core values.

While her family, her upbringing and the difficult times she faced were influential in her development to this point, she moves forward in life with her husband, Daniel Heflin.

"I can't imagine being married to a more supportive husband," Hoyt said. "He's by my side in everything I do and encourages me to chase my dreams. It takes a special person to be married to a coach at this level, but he invests in my players and is incredibly supportive. Family is very important to us and we view the team and our players as our own."

Heflin grew up an athlete himself and played collegiate baseball at Georgia College. With that background comes an increased understanding of the coaching life that his wife leads.

"When the head coach offer came from Oklahoma State, it was pure joy for both of us," Hoyt said. "He was with me throughout my journey as head coach at Kansas City, for the ups and the downs. It's not just my job, it's our job. Making the move to OSU brought a lot of emotion for the two of us – lots of hugs and tears. We didn't even talk for the first minute after getting off the phone with Chad (Weiberg). We were overwhelmed with joy and gratitude."

As the couple transitions to Stillwater, Hoyt said she has a clear vision for Cowgirl Basketball.

"It's going to be a family atmosphere that loves to win and hates to lose. We're going to find joy in everything we do and who we do it with. I'm a big believer in having a growth mindset and view everything as an opportunity to learn and get better. We love kids with a high motor and a blue-collar mindset who absolutely love the game and are not afraid of hard work."

And off the court?

"Our program is centered around empowering women," Hoyt said. "I'm very passionate about setting an example to our players of what that looks like on a daily basis. We will invest in our players in order to build and instill confidence that they can play and win at the highest level while they are at Oklahoma State and can also succeed in what they do after graduation."

"We want our team to be active in the community and be role models that young people can look up to."

Listening to their second-oldest daughter speak, it's clear that Scott and Shelly did just fine with her, even if Jacie never had a chance but to live a life of basketball.

Oklahoma State University Athletics

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