The decision to get back into coaching was not an easy one for Jackson, who moved to the area when his wife (Brooke Carrigan-Jackson) became an assistant for the Furman women’s team.
He took a job making parts for BMW in South Carolina until accepting the Montreat job, and he now commutes from Travelers Rest, S.C.
“After I left Pacific, I spent some time trying to decide whether I wanted to get back into coaching,” said Jackson, who had a 37-55 overall record and a 36-36 record in league play at Pacific. “The way things ended there weren’t the way I wanted them to end. In my first year, we made it to the Big West (Conference) championship game, and we broke almost every offensive record you could imagine.
“But we were trying to make the step from a mid-major team. ... Budget-wise, we weren’t ready to do that. In retrospect, I probably should have been more patient.”
The idea of returning to the non-NCAA Division I level was intriguing to Jackson.
Since arriving, he’s not been disappointed. Montreat only has eight players on its roster, but the leading scorer is one of Jackson’s first recruits. Junior college transfer Chazaree Wright is averaging 17.1 points per game, including 26 in a seven-point loss to Union College, last year’s tournament champion, on Saturday.
Jackson said his favorite part of coaching the Cavaliers is watching his players have fun.
“One of my first days here, I heard a ball bouncing in the gym,” Jackson said. “It was one of our players (Mace). I couldn’t remember the last time a player had gone in the gym to work on her game on her own time. At the D-I level, everything is so structured. It’s nice to be at a place where athletes enjoy the game so much."
By: Tyler Norris Goode, Asheville CITIZEN-TIMES
Photo Credit: Will Sanders, Asheville CITIZEN-TIMES