Jamie Phillips Vest graduated from Valley Head High School in 1994. She excelled in basketball playing on the junior high and varsity teams starting in 7th grade. As a freshman, she joined the All-Area Tournament, All-County, and All-County Tournament teams and scored a total of 369 points. She made All-County, All-Area, and All-State her sophomore and junior year, as well as the All-County Tournament, All-Area Tournament, and All-State Tournament teams her junior year. During her senior year, Vest and her teammates won the 1994 Area, Sub-state, and Northeast Regional championships and was 1-A State Runner-up. That same year, she was named MVP of the Daily Sentinel Invitational and the Northeast Regional tournaments. She also joined the All-Northeast Regional, Lauderdale County Christmas tournament, All-Area tournament, and All-County tournament teams. She holds the record for second all-time career points in DeKalb County with a total of 2,462. Outside of basketball, Vest was also on the 1992 All-Area volleyball team and the 1993 softball sectionals All-Tournament team.
After high school Vest received scholarships to Chattanooga State Community College and, later, Berry College, where she received the 1997 Junior year Scholar Athletic Award, 1998 Northwest Georgia Tip-Off Club Player of the Year, a TransSouth Athletic Conference Scholar Athlete, and served as team co-captain. She was also named to the 1998 Tip-Off All-Tournament team and ranked second in assists in the TransSouth Conference. After college, Vest coached at Ider High School from 1999-2003 and returned to her home school of Valley Head in 2003, where she still coaches the varsity girls’ basketball team. As a coach, Vest’s teams won the 2004 Area championship, the 2020 Northeast Regional tournament, and the 2018 JCA Tournament championship.
