Lewis Jackson will be returning for his seventh year as head basketball coach at Alabama State University. A legend as a player, the Wetumpka, Ala., native was named to lead his alma mater’s men’s basketball program in June 2005, catapulting the former player and assistant coach to the top of the program he helped build into a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) powerhouse.
Jackson, who had served as an assistant at ASU since the 2000-01 season before being named the head coach, has been integral to the team’s success. The Hornets won two SWAC Tournament championships and earned NCAA Tournament berths with those championships.
For the 2011-12 year, Alabama State will be coming off a season which saw them struggle the first half of the season and then pick up steam in the second, which culminated in the SWAC Tournament Championship and another trip to the NCAA Tournament.
The 2009 season marked the third consecutive year that ASU finished with a winning record. The Hornets made it to the semi-final round of the SWAC tournament. Jackson also coached a pair of First Team All-SWAC players from that team- Menji Mundadi and Tremayne Moorer.
In 2008, Jackson guided the Hornets to a 22-10 mark and a 16-2 conference record en route to a second consecutive SWAC regular season crown. In addition, ASU captured the SWAC Tournament title earning the conference’s automatic NCAA Tournament berth.
In 2007, Jackson led Alabama State to the SWAC regular season championship with a 15-3 record, finishing the season 20-11 overall with an appearance in the NIT. The Hornets never lost back-to-back SWAC games that season and outscored their league opponents by more than 11 points per game.
Jackson began learning his up-tempo, full-court style as a graduate assistant at ASU under the late James Oliver Sr. Over the next five years, he served as a basketball instructor. In 1998, he coached The Challenge--an Amateur Athletic Union team that featured some of the top high school talent in the country, including stars Alvin Pettway and Tyrone Levett.
As strong as his coaching resume has been, Jackson’s credentials as a player are equally as impressive. While playing for Wetumpka High School, Jackson led his team to back-to-back state championships and was twice chosen as Most Valuable Player of the state tournament.
Jackson then selected ASU to continue his basketball career, becoming one of the best players in school history. After breaking into the starting lineup four games into his freshman season, he went on to score 2,203 points--ranking fourth on ASU’s all-time scoring list.
After his senior season in 1984, Jackson was named SWAC Player of the Year, Black College Basketball Player of the Year and a Black College All-American. He was drafted by the Golden State Warriors in the third round and received an invitation to try out for the United States Olympic basketball team. He would ultimately play professionally in Australia, Canada and the Philippines before retiring in 1990.
In 1999, Jackson was inducted into the SWAC Hall of Fame. A year later, he was selected for inclusion in the Alabama State University Hall of Fame. His number, 33, is retired by ASU, and Wetumpka High School retired both numbers Jackson donned, 34 and 35.
Jackson is married to ASU’s head women’s basketball coach, Freda Freeman Jackson. They have two children: Antron and Bianca.
Jackson Year-by-Year
2010-11: 17-18
SWAC Tournament Champion
NCAA Appearance
2009-10: 16-15
2008-09: 22-10
SWAC Regular Season Champion
SWAC Tournament Champion
NCAA Appearance
SWAC Coach of The Year
2007-08: 20-11
SWAC regular Season Champion
NIT Appearance
2006-07: 10-20
2005-06: 12-18
