Sports 15 July 2014

NKU names Danté Jackson as assistant basketball coach

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http://nkunorse.com/news/2014/7/9/JacksonHiring.aspx?path=mbball

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky University men's basketball head coach Dave Bezold has added Danté Jackson to his staff to fill the role of assistant coach.

Jackson previously served as a graduate assistant at his alma mater Xavier.

He is a graduate of McClain High School in Greenfield.

"Danté is an up-and-coming coach with a world of potential," said Bezold. "His background as a Division I student-athlete at Xavier will be invaluable to our players. He has worked under Xavier's Chris Mack and Illinois' John Groce, who Danté served under while at Ohio. Both of those coaches employ similar philosophies to NKU, which will allow Danté to hit the ground running."

Jackson, a 2011 graduate of Xavier University, started his coaching career at Ohio University as a graduate assistant under John Groce, now the head coach at Illinois. Following a one-year stint with the Bobcats, he returned to Xavier and spent the previous two seasons as a graduate assistant under Chris Mack.

"I'm really excited to join the Northern Kentucky men's basketball program," said Jackson. "I am equally excited to work for Coach Bezold! I can't wait to get to work with our staff and fight through this transition period, and ultimately bring NKU to the NCAA tournament!

On the bench at Xavier last season, Jackson helped the Musketeers finish tied-third in its inaugural season in the BIG EAST Conference with an appearance in the semifinals of the league tournament at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Xavier also earned an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament.

Jackson left his mark on the court at Xavier. His 137 games played tied for the most in program history, while his 107 wins and seven NCAA tournament victories tied for the second most by a Musketeer. He amassed 795 points, 374 rebounds and 255 assists during his playing days.

In the 2009-10 NCAA Tournament, Jackson helped lead the Musketeers to the Elite 8, where they fell in double overtime to the Frank Martin-led Kansas State Wildcats. He is probably most known for his theatrics in the 2008 Puerto Rico Tip-Off. Jackson drilled a half-court buzzer-beater to lift Xavier past Virginia Tech in overtime. The play earned the top spot on ESPN SportsCenter's "Top 10" list.

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