It is a new era in Edward Waters women’s basketball, as the team has announced the hiring of a new head coach.
Former Rust College women’s basketball coach Eric Jackson Jr. has been tabbed as the new leader of the Edward Waters program.
Jackson comes to Edward Waters following a seven-year stint at Rust, during which time he led the team to three straight GCAC titles.
This past year, he led the Lady Bearcats to their best season in school history, posting a 28-4 overall record and securing the conference championship with a dominant 67-39 win over Fisk.
IT IS OFFICIAL! Welcome TO TIGER NATION, our NEW head women’s basketball coach, multiple time @GCACSports champion and @USCAA Hall of Famer, Eric Jackson, Jr.! #TigerPride🐅🏀https://t.co/JDW1hCcAdf pic.twitter.com/AcZlopmrUB
— Edward Waters Athletics (@EWU_Athletics) May 16, 2024
During his introductory press conference, Jackson spoke about his mission to instill a championship mindset in his players on and off the court.
“We have a unique ability to teach [the team] what it means to be a champion both on and off the court,” said Jackson. “How to build relationships with professionals, with the faculty and staff, how to deal with relationships with each other and build team chemistry. How to deal with each other in the classroom. How to deal with their teachers [by] doing stuff early. All of those different things are going to connect through our program. We are going to teach those life lessons so that after they leave us, with a couple [championship rings] on their hand, of course, that they’ll be able to take some things other than how to shoot a free throw or how to do a crossover. Those things are going to make them true champions.”
He comes to the team in place of Charmaine Wilson, who spent the past 13 seasons with the Tigers, dating back to their time in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC).
The 2024-2025 season will be Edward Waters’ third in the SIAC. They finished with a 9-18 overall record last season, a slight decline from their 13-15 mark the previous year.