Jackson steps down after solid career at Alabama State

Lewis Jackson spent 15 years as head coach at Alabama State. He announced his resignation earlier this week. (Photo Contributed)

By TIM GAYLE

The most recognizable collegiate coach in central Alabama has announced he is stepping down.

Alabama State men’s basketball coach Lewis Jackson announced his resignation from the position on Friday, ending a 15-year career with the Hornets, but left the door open to future work in the athletic department.

“As I continue my Alabama State University athletic journey, I am stepping down as head coach of the Alabama State University men’s basketball program,” Jackson said in a statement released by the university. “The joys and challenges of college athletics as a student, alumnus and coach at ASU continue to rank among the most rewarding milestones in my career. I am extremely grateful for the many opportunities that Alabama State University has afforded me.”

A search for a successor will begin immediately, but replacing Jackson will not be an easy task. Like former football coach Reggie Barlow, Jackson was a fixture in the central Alabama community, a revered coach who grew up as a local sports hero, played at Alabama State and returned to coach the Hornets.  

Jackson was a standout on a team of standouts for Stokely Bazemore at Wetumpka High, leading the Indians to a pair of 3A state championships in 1979 and 1980. In 1979, Jackson earned most valuable player honors in the state tournament as the Indians beat Jackson High for the state title. A year later, Jackson earned MVP honors again as Wetumpka defeated Leeds in impressive fashion, completing one of the most memorable runs in central Alabama history.   

Jackson then took his talents to Alabama State, where he broke into the James Oliver’s starting lineup four games into the 1980-81 season. By his senior season, he ranked fourth on the school’s career scoring list with 2,203 points and was named the Southwestern Athletic Conference player of the year and the Black College Basketball player of the year. Fifteen years later, in 1999, he was inducted into the SWAC Hall of Fame.

Jackson has had a hand in all seven of the Hornets’ NCAA postseason appearances, making the school’s first NCAA postseason appearance (it had reached the NAIA finals in 1980) as a junior in a National Invitation Tournament game against Ole Miss in 1983.

A third-round draft choice of the Golden State Warriors and an invitee to the Team USA basketball tryouts, Jackson ended up overseas, playing in Australia, Canada and the Philippines before retiring in 1990.

He returned to Alabama State as an assistant coach under Rob Spivery. In his very first season in 2001, the Hornets made their inaugural trip to the NCAA Tournament, losing to Michigan State 69-35. In his final year as an assistant, ASU reached the NCAA Tournament again, losing to Duke 96-61.

Spivery retired after the season and the reins were handed to Jackson, who guided the Hornets through a stretch of success in his early years. His 2008 team went 15-3 in the SWAC (20-11 overall) and won the regular-season title but was upset in the conference tournament and had to settle for an NIT game at Arizona State. The following year, what many consider his best team went 22-10, including a 16-2 in SWAC play that helped the Hornets capture the regular-season and conference tournament titles. ASU went to the NCAA Tournament, losing an Opening Round game to Morehead State 58-41. 

Two years later, Jackson’s team caught fire in the last half of the season and won 11 of their final 12 regular-season games, earned the conference tournament title and a trip to Dayton, Ohio for the NCAA Tournament. ASU fell behind early and could never catch a hot-shooting Texas-San Antonio team in a 71-60 loss.

The Hornets also earned a berth in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament in 2014, losing to Sam Houston State.

He finished his coaching career with a 207-264 record, ranking only behind CJ Dunn (298) and Oliver (291) in wins by an Alabama State coach. His jersey was retired by both Wetumpka High and Alabama State.