Jim Jabir (born August 12, 1962) is a retired American basketball coach who has coached at the college level and the professional level.
A native of Brooklyn, New York, Jabir graduated from Nazareth College in 1984 with a degree in English. He began his coaching career as an assistant at Nazareth in 1984âÂÂ85. He was the head coach of Buffalo State College in the NCAA Division 3 in 1986âÂÂ87, guiding the team to a SUNYAC Championship and the NCAA Regionals. At Buffalo State, he earned a Master's degree in Student Personnel Administration.
At age 24, Jabir was named Head WomenâÂÂs Basketball Coach at Siena College. Between 1987 and 1990, he had a record of 50âÂÂ29 at Siena, followed by head coaching stints at Marquette University (1990âÂÂ1996) and Providence College (1996âÂÂ2002). He guided Marquette WomenâÂÂs Basketball Team to NCAA Tournament appearances in 1994 and 1995, Jabir earned Reebok/Great Midwest Coach of the Year honors twice. During his tenure at Providence, he led the WomenâÂÂs team to 62 wins and 102 losses.
In 2002âÂÂ03, Jabir was an assistant coach at the Colorado University WomenâÂÂs Basketball Team, helping the squad to a Sweet 16 appearance. Jabir moved to the University of Dayton, where he was the Head WomenâÂÂs Basketball Coach from 2003 to 2016. At Dayton, he compiled a record of 252 wins and 155 defeats and became the winningest coach in program history. In 2013, his Dayton Flyersâ team was ranked 11th nationally in the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches polls. He coached Dayton to the NCAA Elite Eight in 2015. Jabir received Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year honors in 2008 and 2013 and was a finalist for the Naismith College Coach of the Year Award in 2013. On September 7, 2016, Jabir stepped back for health reasons. Jabir said, he has had heart problems in the past and a pacemaker and defibrillator.
In parts of the 2016âÂÂ17 season, he coached in the professional ranks, serving as head coach for SISU's men's team in DenmarkâÂÂs Basketligaen, where he signed in January 2017. He guided the team to a semifinal appearance and was named 2016âÂÂ17 Basketligaen Coach of the Year. Under his guidance, SISU won eleven of its 18 games.
Jabir went back to the United States and was Head Women's Basketball Coach at Florida Atlantic University from 2017 to 2021. In April 2021, he returned to Siena College and was named SienaâÂÂs Women's Basketball Head Coach. Jabir announced his retirement in March 2024. He decided to move to California where his wife took a job at Stanford University.