March 30, 2007
NORMAL, Ill. - Newly appointed Illinois State head men's basketball coach Tim Jankovich welcomed the first addition to his staff when he announced the hiring of Mike Jackson as assistant coach Friday. Jackson boasts more than 11 years of Division I coaching experience.
"I am thrilled to have Mike become a part of our staff here at Illinois State," Jankovich said. "He has an outstanding basketball background both as a player and a Division I coach, and is an extremely talented recruiter across the Midwest. Mike came highly recommended, and possesses all of the qualities that I am looking for in an assistant coach. But most importantly, he is a great person, and will be a great ambassador for our program."
Jackson is equally excited about the opportunity to join the Redbird staff.
"I'm honored to have the opportunity to continue my coaching career at Illinois State," said Jackson. "ISU is a great school with a storied basketball tradition. I'm also very excited about working under a coach with Tim Jankovich's credentials. He has an impressive track record, and a great enthusiasm and excitement for the game of basketball. I want to learn as much as I can from him, and at the same time, help him get ISU basketball back to the level it should be at."
For the past two years, Jackson served as an assistant coach at Michigan under former head coach Tommy Amaker, where the Wolverines appeared in back-to-back National Invitation Tournaments (NIT), including the championship game following the 2005-06 campaign.
Prior to his stint at Michigan, he was an assistant coach for two years at Dayton (2003-05). Jackson helped the Flyers to the Atlantic 10 West Division championship in 2004, including a trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Before his Dayton stint, the Detroit native served as an assistant coach at Toledo for two years (2001-03).
Jackson began his coaching career after graduating from the University of Detroit in 1995 with a bachelor's degree in business administration. In five years as an assistant coach at Detroit (1996-2001), he helped the Titans to two NCAA Tournament appearances and two Midwest Collegian Conference (MCC) titles in 1998 and 1999. He was also a part of a semifinal appearance in the 2001 NIT.
As a player, Jackson was a four-year letterwinner for the Titans and was the first Detroit player to score 1,000 points (1,125) and dish out more than 400 (422) career assists.
Jackson and his wife, Amira, have two children: son Mylan and daughter Amani.
