Head women's basketball coach Julie Goodenough has announced the addition of Jake Stevens to her staff as an assistant coach. Stevens comes to ACU after spending the last two seasons at fellow WAC school Tarleton and the previous four years at Texas Woman's University. Stevens takes over the position vacated by Weston Jameson, who has accepted a head coach position at his alma mater Harding University.

"I am so excited and grateful to be able to add Coach Stevens to my staff," said Goodenough. "He will make an immediate impact in our program and in the community. I have known Jake for a while and have observed his integrity and work ethic. His experience coaching in the WAC is invaluable as it gives him good knowledge of our program and also of what a great league we are competing in. Recruiting is our lifeline and he has great recruiting contacts that will allow him to hit the ground running in that area. Jake will assist in post development and also become our Creative Recruiting Coordinator. We welcome a Christian role model, husband and father to our Wildcat family."

Stevens recently completed his second season as an assistant coach at Tarleton, wrapping up his second stint with the Texans women's basketball program. Stevens served as an assistant coach during the 2016-17 season after working as a graduate assistant under head coach Misty Wilson from 2014-16. In between his two stints at Tarleton, he spent four years as an assistant coach at the Texans' former Lone Star Conference foe Texas Woman's University.

"I'm grateful for the opportunity to join the Wildcat family," said Stevens. "I have long respected Coach Goodenough, her program, and the way she truly develops leaders in Christ. The support from ACU and the community of Abilene is second to none. I am thankful for the chance to be a part of such championship caliber program."

In 2021-22, Stevens helped put together one of the most impressive turnaround seasons in NCAA Division I, improving the Texans' win total by seven year-over-year. Tarleton went 16-13 overall, including an 8-10 conference mark. The Texans finished seventh in the WAC and had the largest improvement of wins year-over-year in the conference (not including Dixie State, who played in just three games the year before). The Texans put 10 new players on the court year-over-year, improving greatly in defense and rebounding. They had the second best scoring defense in the WAC, allowing just 59.2 points per game, forcing opponents to the fifth worst field goal percentage in the conference at .379. On the boards, Tarleton had the fourth best rebounding margin. The Texans rolled through their non-conference slate, which boosted them to their first winning season as a NCAA Division I program. They went 8-3 to start the year, with wins over Oral Roberts, Incarnate Word, and the College of Charleston.

In his first tour of duty at Tarleton, Stevens served as the program's summer camp coordinator and leant his efforts to all aspects of team operations, such as recruiting, scheduling and player development. Tarleton posted an overall record of 50-36 and a 31-21 mark in conference play with Stevens on staff.

A native of Oakwood, Texas, Stevens graduated from Tarleton in 2011 with a bachelor's degree in kinesiology with an emphasis in fitness management. He then earned his master's degree in kinesiology with an emphasis in interdisciplinary studies in 2016.

Stevens departed for TWU to serve as the program's lead assistant following Tarleton's postseason breakthrough. His first two years in Denton saw the Pioneers make consecutive LSC Tournament appearances.

TWU has since been one of the stingier defensive teams in the LSC. The Pioneers limited opponents to 60.3 points per game over Stevens' final two seasons. TWU ranked in the top-half of the conference in most major defensive statistical categories during the truncated 2020-21 season, including 3-point field goal percent defense (4th, .284), opponent field goal percentage (5th, .372) and opponent point per game (8th, 63.9).

Stevens made his foray into the teaching and coaching world in 2012-13 at Cherokee High School as an assistant boys' basketball and assistant football coach. The Indians qualified for the postseason in both sports under Stevens' direction. The football team captured a bi-district championship in Class A Division II while Stevens' basketball team was a bi-district Division I qualifier.

He then spent the 2013-14 season as a teacher and an assistant boys' basketball coach at Westwood High School. Stevens also worked as a head junior varsity and an assistant varsity baseball coach and head junior high football coach at Westwood.

Stevens earned four varsity letters apiece in basketball and baseball at Oakwood High School prior to attending Tarleton. He and his wife, Rachel, have a son, Griffin.