Arnold introduces new boys basketball coach Tuesday

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) -Arnold school officials introduced their new boys basketball coach in the school’s media center Tuesday afternoon. That new coach is Travis “TJ” Jackson, a 32 year old out of Moss Point, Mississippi. The coach introduced to the Arnold players, parents and boosters at the media center around 1:30 Tuesday The 6′-7″ Jackson was a four-star high school player who played at both Dillard University in New Orleans and Brevard College in South Carolina. He got into coaching after college, in AAU ball, as an assistant on the Juco level at Broward in South Florida. Then last year got his first head coaching gig at Avant Garde High School in Hollywood, Florida. Now he’s at Arnold, looking to build upon what Josh Laatsch did the last three years there.

“When I saw the job I thought wow this is a great opportunity for me.” Coach Jackson told me. “It’s a great opportunity for me to be closer to home and also to see my kids grow. I have a seventh grader and I also have a fifth grader, so it’s a pivotal time in their life. I need to be involved with them. If you know being on the college level, it takes, you’re always on the road. Always recruiting, so I miss out on a lot of their activities and school functions. So this gives me an opportunity to really be a family man and also be a basketball coach. So that’s what attracted me here to Arnold high school in Panama City Beach”

Coach Jackson says he’s all about winning, he loves winning, and he’s hoping to be able to bring Arnold some “firsts” in the next few years!

“And I noticed when I walked into the Arnold high school gym,” Jackson said “and I noticed the basketball, boys banner they have no recognition. Whether it be county, district or state. So I want to be the first to bring that here to Arnold high school. I really think we have a great group of guys. I want to thank Coach latch for getting these guys prepared as much as he could, developing them. And I think it’s going to make my journey a little bit easier and getting this thing started and turned around.”

Coach Laatsch left to take an assistant’s job at Lee University, to coach alongside his brother, who is also now an assistant there. Jackson and the Marlins will look to build on a 10-16 2021-2022 season.

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