Newly hired head women’s basketball coach, Ricky Austin, has added his son, Cooper, to the staff.
Cooper Austin has extensive experience coaching both at the high school level and at the highest level of club basketball. He was a former assistant coach for the Alabama Southern Starz on the Nike Elite Youth Basketball circuit. He also spent time as assistant coach at Spring Garden High School working with his father Ricky.
Cooper led the charge of the highly successful Ace Austin Basketball Camps in Albertville, Ala., where he served as camp director. Cooper specializes in player skill development and is experienced in opponent scouting and game preparation.
He states he is passionate about mentoring student-athletes on and off the court. Cooper is also dedicated to building a winning culture, group discipline, and focuses on teamwork for the teams and players he leads.
Being the son of head coach Ricky Austin, Cooper’s family ties are longstanding and significant at Jax State, especially within the women’s basketball program. His mother, Dana, and his aunt, Jana McGinnis, both have their numbers retired after stellar playing careers as Gamecocks.
Dana Austin was a member of Jax State's 1990-91 Gulf South Conference Championship team and earned All-America honors that season. She remains the only player in program history to surpass 2,000 career points and still ranks among the program's all-time leaders in single-season scoring and assists. Dana later served as head coach of the Gamecock women's basketball program for 10 seasons from 1993 to 2003, further cementing the Austin family's legacy within the program.
Jana McGinnis, meanwhile, is the all-time winningest coach in Jax State history after a remarkable 31-year tenure leading the softball program, making the Austin-McGinnis family one of the most accomplished in university athletics history.
Cooper is a graduate of Jacksonville State University where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education. He graduated in May of 2025.
