Former Baseball Boy Takes The Lead On Basketball Court

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There was no direct line to becoming a basketball coach for Zaricke Jackson. The newly installed head boys coach at Campbell, Jackson favored a different sport altogether when he was growing up in Chicago.

“Baseball was my No. 1,” said Jackson, who relocated from the Windy City four years ago. “I had tried out for the basketball team in high school, but I was cut.”

Jackson’s prowess on the baseball diamond paid dividends, meanwhile. He helped lead Fenger High School to a pair of Chicago Public League school titles in the late ‘80s, which paved the way for him to play two years at Southwestern Junior College in Iowa before finishing up on a baseball scholarship at Lincoln College.

Since his playing days ended on the baseball field, Jackson has found himself drawn to basketball. He spent the last three years coaching the Campbell junior varsity - including the last two as the head JV coach - under Sol Batoon, Bobby Samson and Glen Flores. He was recently hired from a pool of candidates to be the Sabers’ varsity coach.

“It’s a challenging job, but it’s a great group of kids,” said Jackson, who also coached both basketball and baseball at Jefferson City High in Missouri. “Our expectations are very high. I don’t think anyone has higher expectations than I do. I want to get these kids to college playing basketball.”

Campbell has qualified for the state basketball tournament each of the past four seasons - a string Jackson would like to see extended next season.

“We can’t not make it and call it a good season,” Jackson noted.

As JV coach the past few years, as well as a varsity assistant, Jackson had a hand in developing the Sabers into a state tournament-caliber team. Their success has also come with its share of transitional periods, as Jackson represents the school’s fourth head coach in as many years.

“Hopefully, I can bring some stability. I’m blessed to have coached under a variety of coaching styles. I’ve learned a lot from everyone I’ve coached under.”

Jackson envisions the team as a defensive-minded group come November, when they officially begin preseason camp.

“I expect us to play tough defense and to be very disciplined. We’ll work on attitude. We want to make sure that they leave here ready to contribute to society.”

Among Jackson’s first priorities was building a staff. Although not yet finalized at press time, he had hired both Ben Padiao (varsity assistant) and Wes Pacheco (head JV coach) as of late last week.

As part of his long-range vision, Jackson hopes to generate more interest among the youngsters within the Ewa Beach community. He and his staff will hold a camp for kids aged 11-18 at Campbell from July 8 to 12.

Cost of the camp is $45 and includes a T-shirt and lunch. For more information, call 778-6164.