JOURNAL SPORTS
GRAMBLING – After guiding the Grambling State basketball program to consecutive Southwestern Athletic Conference regular-season championships, and the Tigers’ first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance and win this March, Donte’ Jackson has been rewarded.
Heading into his eighth season as head basketball coach, with three SWAC regular-season crowns to his credit, Jackson’s contract was extended through 2029, the university announced Friday. No financial terms were cited.
Dr. Traveon Scott, Grambling’s vice president for intercollegiate athletics, made the announcement.
“Coach Jackson is without a doubt one of the best basketball coaches in the country and we are blessed that he’s the leader of our men’s basketball program,” said Scott. “He has taken our program to heights that haven’t been seen for decades and we are confident that he will continue to be successful and mold our student-athletes into men who represent our institution the right way.”
After clinching the SWAC regular-season race with a week left, the Tigers swept through three games in the conference tournament to punch their ticket to March Madness for the first time in 45 seasons.
Grambling dumped Big Sky Conference Tournament champ Montana State – which had played in the three previous NCAA Tournaments — 88-81 in the First Four before bowing to No. 1 seed Purdue, which reached the national championship game. The Tigers played the Boilermakers competitively in the first half but were overwhelmed by national player of the year Zach Edey and his teammates.
Jackson has 120 wins in his seven seasons as head coach and has been SWAC Coach of the Year three times, including each of the last two seasons. His 2022-23 Tigers won 24 games, the most by the program in its NCAA Division I history, and beat two Power 5 foes, posting a road win at Vanderbilt and a homecourt victory over Colorado.
Jackson is second all-time in basketball coaching victories at GSU, topped only by the legendary Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame member Fred Hobdy, who held the state record for many years with 567 wins.