Staff Directory

Jayci Stone

Title:
Assistant Coach

Jayci Stone is in her first season at Kansas after joining the women’s basketball staff in April 2025 as an assistant coach.

The Goodland, Kansas, native comes to KU with 17 years of collegiate coaching experience, including previous power conference stops at Arkansas, Kansas State and TCU.

Stone was most recently the Director of Student-Athlete Development at Arkansas for three seasons, where she helped the Razorbacks to two postseason appearances, including a 24-win campaign and WNIT quarterfinals berth in 2023. In addition to her coaching duties, Stone played an important role in enriching the student-athlete experience while mentoring players as they headed into the transition to lives after basketball.

Prior to Arkansas, Stone coached at Kansas State, her alma mater, for two seasons, where she was responsible for player development, recruiting evaluation and game preparation. While in Manhattan, the Wildcats complied a 39-28 record across two seasons with two postseason appearances. In 2019, the Wildcats finished 21-12 and earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament after finishing fourth in the Big 12. Stone also assisted in the development of All-Big 12 First Team selections Kayla Goth and Peyton Williams.

Stone returned to her home state following two seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Stephen F. Austin. In those seasons, SFA had a 43-20 record and played in the 2017 WNIT.

Stone spent the 2014-15 season as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Southern Utah, where she played a leading role in organizing the signing of eight players in the 2015 recruiting class.

In her first stint in the Big 12, Stone wore numerous hats during three seasons at TCU, where she had the roles of video coordinator, director of operations and interim assistant coach. During her time in Fort Worth, the Horned Frogs experienced a nine-win turnaround (18-14) in the program’s second season as a member of the Big 12.

Stone previously gained coaching experience at Hutchinson CC, Frank Philips College and Alaska-Anchorage.

As a player, Stone’s career included stops at Colby CC, New Mexico State and Alaska-Anchorage. She concluded her career with a stellar season at UAA, where she averaged 11.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game on a team that finished 23-6. Stone was named the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Newcomer of the Year and All-GNAC Second Team selection for her performance.

Stone is a 2008 graduate of Kansas State, where she majored in social sciences with an emphasis in physical education and history. She later attained her master’s in liberal arts from TCU in 2013. Stone is married to Mike Neighbors, and they have two sons, Bowen and Barrett.

THE STONE FILE
Alma Mater: Kansas State, 2008 (Bachelors, Social Sciences); TCU, 2013 (Masters, Liberal Arts)
Hometown: Goodland, Kan.
Husband: Mike Neighbors
Sons: Bowen, Barrett

COACHING EXPERIENCE
2026-Present: Kansas (Assistant Coach)
2022-25: Arkansas (Director of Student-Athlete Development)
2017-19: Kansas State (Assistant Coach)
2015-17: Stephen F. Austin (Assistant Coach)
2014-15: Southern Utah (Assistant Coach)
2011-14: TCU (Video Coordinator/Director of Operations)
2009-11: Hutchinson CC (Assistant Coach)
2008-09: Frank Phillips College (Assistant Coach)
2007-08: Alaska-Anchorage (Assistant Coach)

PLAYING CAREER
2007: Alaska-Anchorage
2006: New Mexico State
2004-05: Colby Community College