JoVanka Ward

JoVanka Ward is in her 5th year with Elite Hoops and Homewood HS where she has an overall record of 94-31.

The 2015-16 Lady Patriots held the Alabama Sports Writers Association #1 Ranking for 6A Girls Basketball for the entire season. Homewood completed the season as undefeated Regular Season Champions, 3 time Area Tournament Champions, Back to Back Sub-Regional & Regional Champions and appeared in the 6A State Championship game for the second year in a row, only to finish as the AHSAA State Runner-Up with an overall record of 27-7. Ward was selected to coach the North All-Stars during 2016 AHSAA All-Star Week held in Montgomery, AL.

In 2014-15 The 6A State Champion Lady Patriots finished the season as Walker HS Tournament Champions, Ramsay Hilltop Tournament Champions, Area 9 Undefeated Regular Season Champions, Area 9 Tournament Champions and as the first girls basketball team in school history to be ranked number 1 by the ALSWA (Sports Writers Association).  They were back to back Area & Sub-Regional Champions and they are the first team to advance beyond the first round of regional play, also making them the first Regional Champions in school history. The Lady Patriots are the first team to make it to the state finals and the first state girls or boys, basketball championship in Homewood history while also setting a school-record with 30 wins. Coach JoVanka Ward was named Over The Mountain (OTM) Coach of the Year, ALSWA 6A Coach of the Year, AL.com State Finals Best Dressed Coach of the Year and USA Today Alabama High School Coach of the Year.

In the 2013-14 season the Lady Patriots finished with an Area & Sub-Regional Championship and a Sweet 16 appearance.

Prior to HMS JoVanka was an assistant women’s basketball coach at UAB for 5 years, and spent 2 years as First Assistant at Alabama A&M and other universities to include Howard and Virginia State. In 2008, after an 11 year career as a college basketball coach she decided to step away from the demands of college athletics to spend more time with her family.

Coach Ward is originally from Panama City, Panama but affectionately calls Hampton, VA home where she grew up and finished her college playing days. She played her prep-school basketball at Kecoughtan High School, then later went on to receive scholarships to play at Old Dominion University, where she spent one year and then completed her playing career at Hampton University.