FORT MYERS, Fla. — Chance Jackson spent the last four years in Alico Arena playing for FGCU Men’s Basketball. When he first got to the Nest, the weight room wasn’t his most frequented place.
The Tampa native studied business in undergrad. It wasn’t until the COVID pandemic that Jackson found his love for the gym, which was solidified with a trip up north.
“My sister, she goes to Army West Point, so I was up visiting her,” Jackson said. “She was showing me around, and I got to meet the football strength and conditioning coach.”
From then on, Jackson wanted to be a strength and conditioning coach himself. So much so that even while he was a player last season, Chance would lead the team in workouts while on road trips.
“Good practice to lead them,” Jackson said.
Jackson then graduated this past May and put down the rock. He didn’t want to leave the Nest, so he took the five-step walk from the gym to the weight room to start his new job. Jackson is the new assistant strength and conditioning coach for FGCU Men’s Basketball.
“Being a former player, you know what those guys are going through because I’ve done it,” Jackson said. “I know what they’re going through on a day-to-day basis.”
The transition has been smooth. The relationships Jackson already had with his teammates have helped bridge the gap. However, he did say that sometimes he forgets he’s a coach.
“I still catch myself still acting like a player,” Jackson said.
Jackson’s former teammates enjoy having Coach Chance around. They said it’s a little weird seeing him as their coach instead of their teammate, but their friendships are still strong.
“He’s great,” FGCU forward Zach Anderson said. “He’s kind of taken things from each strength and conditioning coach he’s been under. Nothing much has changed between our relationship-wise, but you kind of have a different respect for him.”
In addition to his work with the men’s basketball team, Jackson is also helping with the FGCU tennis team. Plus, he’s currently taking online courses from the University of Florida to get his master’s degree in applied physiology and kinesiology.
Jackson is even busier now than he was when he was a player. However, the extra work is setting him up to achieve his ultimate goal of being a strength and conditioning coach at a Division I, Power 5 school.