Jamie Cluesman will enter her sixth season at the helm of the women’s basketball program at UVA Wise this winter. Over her five four seasons, the coach has compiled 68 wins while having posted a winning record in two of the last three seasons. Named the 2021 South Atlantic Coach of the Year, Cluesman has guided the Cavaliers to postseason play in three of her five seasons while having also defeated a nationally-ranked opponent in three of the last four years.
Last winter, the Cavaliers posted a 16-13 record thanks to a strong finish to the season. UVA Wise finished the season with three consecutive wins, including an 80-77 win over regionally ranked and eventual South Atlantic Conference Tournament winner Lenoir-Rhyne in the regular season finale. The 16 wins were the most for the program since 2017.
Two years ago, UVA Wise bounced back from a 3-11 start to the season to finish 12-14 overall en route to qualifying for the league tournament. The season was highlighted by a 75-59 win over No. 23 Catawba College on Senior Day inside the Prior Center.
In 2021, Cluesman earned South Atlantic Conference Coach of the Year honors after guiding the Cavs to the program’s best season as a NCAA Division II member.
During the campaign, UVA Wise piled up 15 wins against just five losses as the team received votes nationally and was in contention for an NCAA Tournament berth throughout the season. Student-athletes Caitlyn Ross and Kalee Johnson earned All-SAC First-Team honors while Nia Vanzant was an Honorable Mention All-SAC performer. Cluesman’s crew knocked off nationally-ranked Tusculum University in the regular-season finale to mark the second consecutive season the program had defeated a nationally-ranked foe.
UVA Wise also won its first SAC Tournament game with an 86-63 triumph over Queens University of Charlotte in the Prior Center. It was the program’s first postseason victory since 2017.
Four years ago, Cluesman’s team knocked off nationally-ranked Catawba College inside the Prior Center as part of a 12-win season that saw the Cavaliers battle injuries throughout the campaign.
In her first season, the coach guided the Cavs to a 13-16 record and an 11-11 finish in Mountain East Conference play. The .500 record in league play positioned UVA Wise sixth in the league standings, earning a bye in the conference tournament after being picked last in the preseason conference poll.
Student-athletes have flourished under Cluesman both on and off the court. Women’s basketball student-athletes have been heavily involved in Play4Kay, Black History Month, organ and tissue donation, reading in local elementary schools, supporting Indigenous Women and other initiatives over her tenure. The team has placed multiple student-athletes on All-SAC teams for their on-the-court success.
Cluesman was announced as the 17th women's basketball coach in school history on March 30, 2018, coming to the College after spending the previous four seasons as an assistant coach at Shepherd University.
A four-year letter winner at Concord University, Cluesman finished as the Mountain Lions’ all-time leader in assists as she aided the school to back-to-back 20-win seasons during her junior and senior seasons. A two-time All-WVIAC performer, Cluesman finished her collegiate career with 904 points, 536 rebounds, 655 assists and 277 steals. She was inducted into Concord’s Athletic Hall of Fame in the fall of 2019.
While at Shepherd, she helped the Rams turn a 4-23 record into a NCAA Tournament berth and Mountain East Conference regular season championship during her tenure. Cluesman coached the Mountain East Conference’s all-time leading scorer and five other all-league performers during her time in Shepherdstown.
Cluesman began her coaching career at her alma mater where she served as an assistant coach for six seasons. During her time as a coach at Concord, the Mountain Lions posted an overall winning record while producing nine all-conference players and an All-American in 2012.
The coach has two cousins, Chelsea and Makenzie Cluesman who each scored over 1,000 points in a Cavalier uniform, a third cousin, Chase Cluesman, was a four-year letter winner for the school’s football team.
Cluesman obtained a bachelor’s degree in athletic training from Concord before later adding a master’s degree in exercise science from California University of Pennsylvania.
