Donnie Jackson named KBCA Men’s JUCO Coach of the Year

The 2024-2025 basketball season was one for the record books for the Cowley College men's basketball team and head coach Donnie Jackson. The Tigers captured just the fifth Region title in the program's history and achieved 30 wins (30-5) for the second time in more than 100 years of basketball being played at the school. Jackson was named the KBCA Men's JUCO Coach of the Year for his accomplishments.

Jackson led Cowley to their first Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference regular season title and NJCAA Region 6 Tournament Championship since 2021. Cowley earned the number two overall seed in the National Tournament and was consistently ranked in the top 10 of the NJCAA Division 1 men's basketball top 25 poll, finishing #5 in the final poll, while ranking in the top three in the conference in field goal percentage, free-throw percentage, assists per game, steals per game, blocks per game, and points per game allowed.

The Tigers advanced to the Elite Eight of the National Tournament before losing 61-60 to eventual national champion Trinity Valley. Jackson was named the 2025 KJCCC and Plains District Coach of the Year.

Jackson previously led the Cowley College men's basketball team to a record of 28-6 and a trip to the Sweet 16 at the NJCAA Division I National Tournament during the 2023-24 season. The team finished ranked #11 in the final NJCAA poll.  Jackson has won 90 games in his four seasons as head coach of the Tigers following a stellar eight-year run as head coach at Northern Oklahoma College-Tonkawa. He has also guided the team to a 7-5 overall mark in tournament play.

Jackson is no stranger to Cowley as he previously spent four years as an assistant coach at the school before becoming the head coach at Northern Oklahoma College-Tonkawa, where he built the Mavericks into a national contender.

Jackson's overall record at Northern Oklahoma College was 183-69 (72.6%). He led the Mavs to a 96-38 (71.6%) record in Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference play while guiding the team to a 13-8 overall mark in tournament play.

In his final season at NOC, he led the Mavs to a record of 24-2, a final NJCAA national ranking of #7, and helped them advance to the Elite Eight at the NJCAA Division I National Tournament, where they lost to eventual national champion Coffeyville in overtime. NOC won the conference title and were Region 2 champs. He was also named Region 2 Coach of the Year in 2016 and 2021 and South Central District Coach of the Year in 2021.

The Mavericks also received an at-large bid for the 2020 NJCAA Division I National Tournament. That bid qualified the Mavs for the tournament for the first time in 20 years. The team finished 28-4 overall and #7 in the final NJCAA poll.

Jackson played and coached under former Cowley College head coach Tommy DeSalme. Jackson played two seasons at Sterling College (2000-2002), playing for DeSalme his senior year. Following his senior season, he was named an NAIA Honorable Mention All-American and a Unanimous First Team All-KCAC player after averaging 14.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game and helping the Warriors to a 19-11 overall mark.

Jackson then spent four seasons as an assistant coach to DeSalme at Sterling College before moving to Kansas Wesleyan. While at Sterling, he helped lead the Warriors to two NAIA national tournament appearances (2004 and 2006), a KCAC conference tournament championship, and four consecutive second-place conference finishes (2003-2006).

Jackson spent one season as an assistant coach at Kansas Wesleyan University, helping to lead the Coyotes to a 28-4 record as well as a 2007 KCAC conference and postseason championship. Kansan Wesleyan also had a 19-game winning streak.  The Coyotes advanced to the second round of the NAIA National Tournament and finished with a No. 6 national ranking.

He then spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Independence Community College, aiding the Pirates to a record of 45-19 overall and 29-7 in the Jayhawk Conference Eastern Division. Indy also advanced to two Region VI quarterfinals. In his first year, he assisted in leading Independence to a 26-6 overall record, a No. 16 national ranking, and a second-place conference finish. Independence also had a 21-game winning streak.

Jackson followed DeSalme to Cowley, where he helped lead the Tigers to 91 wins in his four years at the college. Cowley also captured a conference title and finished in the top three in the conference in each of those four seasons (2010-2013). The Tigers appeared in two Region VI quarterfinals, one Region VI semifinal, and one Region VI final. The program produced Iowa State signee Tyrus McGee, Creighton signee James Milliken, Kansas State signee James Watson, and Duquesne signee Dominique McKoy, among others. McGee, a First Team NJCAA All-American, finished as the third all-time leading scorer in Cowley history and was named Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year and Jayhawk East Player of the Year. Milliken finished as the sixth all-time leading scorer in Tiger history.

As the top assistant coach for DeSalme for 11 seasons, Jackson helped compile a 230-119 overall record, including a 136-59 record in his six seasons as a junior college coach. Combine that with his head coaching record of 273-111, and Jackson has been a part of 503 wins in 23 seasons.

At NOC, Jackson led the Mavericks to two sixth-place NJCAA finishes in overall team GPA in men's basketball. (3.06 in 2015-16 and 3.23 in 2016-17). The Mavs also finished with a team GPA of 3.1 in 2019-20, good for 29th overall nationally.

As a head coach and assistant coach, Jackson has helped place 42 NCAA Division I players, 27 NCAA Division II players, three NCAA Division three players, and 20 NAIA players in his 18-year junior college coaching career. A total of 17 NOC Mavs signed with NCAA Division I schools in his. He also coached eight NJCAA All-Americans, including four 1st Team, four Jayhawk East Players of the Year, two Jayhawk East Freshmen of the Year, one OCAC Player of the Year, two OCAC- Freshman of the Year, 24 All-Conference players (19 first-team), 16 All-Region players (10 first-team), and 14 All-Tournament Team players. Eleven players have gone on and played professionally, including two in the NBA Summer League.

A graduate of Highland Park High School in Topeka, Kan., Jackson played two seasons (1998-2000) in the Jayhawk Conference at Allen County Community College before continuing at Sterling College. He completed his undergraduate degree in Exercise Science at Sterling and his graduate degree in Health and Human Performance at Fort Hays State University.

He has two children, Jaxson and Emory.