BLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech men's basketball head coach Mike Young announced on Friday that David Jackson will join his staff as the assistant AD of strength and conditioning.
Jackson returns to Blacksburg after serving at Texas A&M as the director of sports performance for men's basketball. He spent 12 years in Blacksburg prior to his time with the Aggies. The Hokie alum played for the late Bill Foster, whose programs won the 1995 NIT championship and advanced to the second round of the 1996 NCAA Tournament. His twin brother, Jim, also played for Tech.
"I am elated about the return of David Jackson to Blacksburg, as his track record of preparing and training student-athletes is second to none in college basketball," Young said. "David's understanding of Virginia Tech and ability to connect with our players is a home run for Hokie Basketball."
Returning redshirt sophomore guard Tyrece Radford added, "I am extremely excited to have coach Jax return. He is the coolest, hard-nosed person I have ever met and he's REAL. He is amazing at what he does, which will make us better."
Jackson's reputation as a leader and elite performance coach helped the Hokies to three straight trips to the NCAA Tournament. He has trained 14 All-ACC selections, including ACC Player of the Year Erick Green. Green played for the Denver Nuggets (2014-2015) and the Utah Jazz (2016) and is currently playing overseas. He also coached the talented All-ACC trio of Justin Robinson, Kerry Blackshear, Jr., and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Alexander-Walker, a first-round NBA draft pick, is in the midst of his rookie season with the New Orleans Pelicans.
Prior to his career in sports performance, Jackson served as a graduate assistant coach for Virginia Tech from 1997-99 and as an assistant basketball coach at Fork Union Military Academy during the 1999-2000 season. He left coaching to become a personal trainer in the Southern California area before returning to his alma mater.
The Wisconsin native is a 1997 graduate of Virginia Tech with a degree in health and physical education and a minor in health education. He earned a master's degree in health education from Virginia Tech in 1999.
Jackson and his wife, Essie, have two daughters, Fiona and Giselle.