Coach Nikki Jessee

Nikki Jessee has been a success everywhere she has been and is most notably known for building college programs and turning them into winners. She has previously taken over a total of four losing collegiate programs and quickly turned them into winning programs. Jessee was named the first head coach of Florida Polytechnic University’s Women’s Basketball program on April 16, 2026.

 

At Warner University, year four was one for the record books as the team tied for the most wins in the previous 19 years of the program’s history. Not only did the program have the first winning record in almost 20 years, but they also garnered back-to-back Freshmen of the

Year awards, along with two 1st Team All-Conference award winners. The team was also awarded the Scholar Team Award by the NCCAA for achieving an overall team GPA of 3.42. 

 

In only three years of the rebuild process at Warner University, Jessee guided the team to more wins than the previous year in each season, and a birth in postseason play for the first time in over 8 years. In only four recruiting classes, she secured three NCAA DI transfers, three NCAA DII transfers, four coveted JUCO transfers, along with several highly touted freshmen. That recruiting class finished with two 1st Team All-Conference players (both freshmen), including the Freshman of the Year for the season. Overall, she coached eight All-Conference players in five short years (six 1st Team/two 2nd Team).

 

Before stepping away from college coaching to be a mother, Jessee led Saint Leo to its best season in school history, guiding the Lions to a 20-10 record – and their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Saint Leo's 20 victories are a record for wins in a single season to this day, and its nine conference wins were also the most league wins ever. In addition, Saint Leo's 66.7 percent winning percentage is the highest in program history. 

 

After her second year at the helm of the program, Jessee guided the Lions to the second-best team record in program history. In Sunshine State Conference play, the Lions also broke the previous record for conference wins in a season. Two of the Lions' seven conference wins came against Top 25 teams with Saint Leo topping eventual NCAA South Region champion No. 17 Nova Southeastern and No. 15 Tampa. It was Saint Leo's first win at Tampa in 10 years.

 

A No. 7 seed in the Sunshine State Conference tournament, Saint Leo beat No. 2 Lynn in the opening round. It was the first time in SSC tournament history that a No. 7 seed had beaten a No. 2 seed. Following the win against Lynn, the Lions beat Tampa for the second time that year to advance to the SSC Tournament Championship for the first time in program history.

 

Jessee has developed a lengthy and successful resume with over 25 years of coaching experience. At Lynn University she helped turn the Fighting Knights' squad into an instant competitor in the Sunshine State Conference, guiding them to a program-best 14-2 start while also earning national recognition in the WBCA Top-25 poll and NCAA South Region rankings, both program firsts. Her squad also posted back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in Lynn’s DII era, while posting a program-record for points in a season. 

 

Prior to her time with the Fighting Knights, Jessee was tabbed as the head coach of Martin Methodist College in Pulaski, Tennessee. At MMC, she guided the team to the best start in program history at 13-2, collected the team's first conference tournament win, all while compiling the most wins in school history. She guided the team to their highest national ranking in program history.

 

Jessee has also manned successful sidelines as an assistant over the course of her career, her last coming at the University of Tampa where she served as the assistant under head coach and husband, Tom Jessee. She aided the Spartans to a regular season Sunshine State Conference  Championship. The team spent the entire season ranked in the top-25, tying the school record for wins in a year at 26.

 

In addition, prior to her arrival at Martin Methodist College, Jessee coached at Tusculum College in Greeneville, Tenn., where she was the recruiting coordinator. She spent two years at Campbell University, where she helped guide the Lady Camels to an Atlantic Sun Regular Season Championship and runner-up finish at the Atlantic Sun Tournament. 

 

A Florida native, she began her coaching career in Lakeland, Fla., where she helped guide George Jenkins High School to the State Finals. After spending time as an assistant at Campbell University, she earned the head spot at Lyman High School in Orlando, Fla.

 

A local talent, Jessee competed as a high school All-American at Lakeland High School before taking her talents to the University of Florida in one of the top recruiting classes in the country as she was one of the top-50 players in the country. She was a three-time player of the year, while earning Miss Florida Runner-Up. She is Lakeland High School's all-time leading scorer, scoring over 2000 points in only 3 years, and sinking 50 points in a single game.

 

After two years in the blue and orange, Jessee dressed for Rollins College for the final three years of her career. At Rollins, Jessee was a three-time all-conference selection, earning team MVP honors. A Sunshine State Conference Tournament MVP, Jessee was voted Female Athlete of the Year, Central Florida Female Athlete of the Year, and holds a top-10 spot in multiple Rollins' women's basketball categories, including scoring, three-point baskets made, three point field goal percentage, free throws made, free throw percentage, and blocks. Jessee was inducted into the Rollins College Hall of Fame in March 2019. 

 

Topping off her playing career, Jessee signed a professional contract with the Thames Valley Tigers of Bracknell, England where she led the club in scoring and rebounding. 

 

She graduated from Rollins College with a Bachelor's Degree in English and received her Master's from Campbell University with a degree in Education. She is the youngest of six children and has a twin sister.

 

The former Nikki Sullivan, her daughter Rudi, and her husband Tom reside in Dover, FL.