JR Shumate begins his second year with the Miami women's basketball team.
In his first year with the RedHawks, Miami went 19-12 overall and 11-7 in MAC play, earning the No. 5 seed in the conference tournament and advanced to the WNIT for the first time since 2018-19. Miami added 10 wins to the previous season's output, matching a program record for biggest single-season turnaround in Miami women's basketball history. The wins weren't the only thing that improved in year two with the RedHawks Miami's offense jumped from a 53.9 average in year one to 66.5 points/game in 2024-25. While the offense made incredible strides, Miami's calling card was on the defensive end. The RedHawks surrendered a MAC best 59.1 points/game (66th nationally), while also leading the conference in steals and were second in turnovers forced per game.
Prior to joining Miami, Shumate recorded 26 years of high school coaching experience, including most recently serving as the girls basketball coach at Newark (Ohio) High from 2008-2021. Shumate led the Wildcats to four state Final Fours and his program captured seven consecutive district titles. He had previously coached high school boys’ basketball, with stops at Philo, Ridgewood, and Newark.
Shumate also spent 16 years as a club basketball coach, starting the Ohio Future program in 2016. He is a former classroom teacher (1999-2014), and has served as an assistant high school principal at Newark for the past decade (2014-2024).
Shumate holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Physical Education and Health from Otterbein University, which he earned in 1997. He is a licensed 4th-12th grade principal with a Master’s in Secondary Curriculum and Instruction and Educational Leadership from Muskingum University.
