Coach Donte Jackson on Grambling: ‘I think we’re a basketball school’

Grambling State’s men’s basketball coach Donte Jackson had a bold proclamation following the Tigers’ SWAC Tournament championship win over Texas Southern. The 2023-24 season has been a year of firsts for the program as the men earned both their first SWAC title and first bid to the NCAA March Madness Tournament. Their success under head coach Donte Jackson materialized in a quote he gave to a reporter after the game.

“This is three regular season titles and one tournament title in seven years,” he said. “I think we’re a basketball school. Coach Rob [Eddie Robinson] is Coach Rob. I love him, it’s a great legacy he created, but right now, the proof is in the pudding.”

Jackson has been the leader of Grambling State basketball since 2017. In seven years, the Tigers finished lower than fourth place once (2021-22), but that year, they went to the SWAC Tournament Semifinals, according to Chris Stevens of HBCU Sports. The past two seasons they’ve posted the best record in the conference, but only this year were they able to get over the championship hump. The Tigers handily defeated Texas Southern 75-66 in the conference title game, getting revenge on the team that defeated them in the same game last season.

In the interview, Jackson referred to leaving a similar legacy to former Grambling State coach Frederick Hobdy, the winningest coach in Louisiana collegiate basketball history. Between 1957 and 1986, he accrued 572 wins, seven SWAC titles, and an NAIA championship.

“As long [as] I’m here, we’re going to get players, coach them up the right way, and try to build up our legacy the way Coach [Frederick} Hobdy did,” Jackson said. “Coach Hobdy was winning championships the same time as Coach [Robinson] did, so it was more than a football school then. We’re both.”

Conversely, Grambling State’s football program has been in flux ever since former head coach Broderick Fobbs’ tenure ended in 2021. Their last SWAC West title and SWAC championship both came in 2017, but since then, the Tigers have cycled through two head coaches and are on their third after hiring Mickey Joseph. They fired two-year head coach Hue Jackson after finishing with a 5-6 (4-4) record in 2023.