Donte’ Jackson has no hard feelings about his eight seasons at Grambling, but he felt a change was in order.
That’s what the new Alabama A&M men’s basketball coach told Matt Belinson in the Monday edition of the Ruston (La.) Daily Reader.
“They’re doing some things when it comes to the resources they have and what they’re trying to build up. That’s the name of the game now,” Jackson explained. “Kids want to be paid and it’s not as much about the other stuff like it was. The dynamic is changing. That’s not to say GSU wasn’t willing to do it.”
Jackson coached at Grambling from 2017 to this past season, winning three SWAC regular season titles, the 2024 conference title and the first NCAA Division I tournament win in team history with an 88-81 First Four victory over Utah State.
Jackson went on to say that AAMU’s commitment to NIL helped, as well as a bit of confusion regarding Grambling’s plans in that regard.
“It was described to me that, ‘Oh, well we’re doing a study, and we’ll see what we can do.’ But to be honest, I don’t know what it looked like going forward,” he explained. “I never got an exact answer on how that would work. It was up in the air.”
Jackson also added that there was no conflict with Grambling athletic director Trayvean Scott; it was just time for him to move on.
“He helped me elevate the program to its highest point ever,” Jackson said. “I have no problem with him. He’s a good man. I felt like we worked well together. It was a tough decision to leave.”
