(Talladega, AL) Talladega College recently welcomed two new head basketball coaches. Dannton Jackson has been named head men’s basketball coach and assistant athletic director, and Akia Stanton has been named head women’s basketball coach.
“We are thrilled to welcome two record-setting head coaches who possess the experience, talent and determination to advance our basketball teams to the next level,” said Talladega College Vice President and Athletic Director Michael Grant. “In addition to ensuring that their student-athletes excel on the basketball court, Head Coach Stanton and Head Coach Jackson are unwavering in their commitment to helping players develop the discipline required to succeed academically and achieve both their professional and personal goals.”
Head Coach and Assistant Athletic Director Dannton Jackson compiled an extensive list of accolades during a career that spans almost thirty years and includes impressive accomplishments as assistant coach at the University at Albany; associate head coach at the University of Alabama at Birmingham; and head men’s basketball coach at Xavier University of Louisiana.
During his tenure at UAlbany, the team finished the season with the 2nd ranked defense in the league and secured its first win against an Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) opponent in school history. While at UAB, Jackson helped guide the program to a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) 25th ranked defense with 4.9 blocks per game during the 2016-17 season. He also coached junior forward William Lee to consecutive Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year honors. During Coach Jackson’s four-year tenure at UAB, the team went 76-57 and had a 100% graduation rate. Prior to UAB, Jackson enjoyed a stellar 22-year career at his alma mater, Xavier, where he served as head men’s basketball coach for 13 seasons. He accumulated a 294-130 career record and is the winningest coach in the program's history. Additionally, he has the second most twenty-win seasons in Louisiana history. The Gold Rush won five regular-season championships and he skillfully guided the team to 11 appearances in the Buffalo Funds-National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Division I National Championship. He is the only men’s basketball coach in the school’s history to reach the NAIA’s national tournament more than three times. In addition, he produced 13 Arthur Ashe Academic All-Americans and 19 Conference Honor Roll Selections. Under his leadership, the Xavier men’s team received the 2016 NAIA Champions of Character team award. Jackson was tabbed the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Coach of the Year from 2012-14 and is the only coach to win the award in three consecutive seasons.
Head Women’s Basketball Coach Akia Stanton comes to Talladega College from South Carolina State University, where she was promoted from assistant head coach to associate head coach in 2021. She helped guide the Lady Bulldogs in the last two seasons to post season play in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Basketball Tournament. Prior to joining SCSU, she served as head women’s basketball coach at Allen University, where she helped generate steady, continuous improvement. Her team at Allen went from 16-15 to 22-8 in her final season and boasted the single most wins in one season in the institution’s history.
Stanton’s first head coaching position was at Jarvis Christian University. Under her leadership, the women’s basketball team earned the highest team GPA (3.5) in the athletic department and several players received all-conference and all-academic merits.
In addition to having 11 years of collegiate coaching experience, Stanton was a standout student-athlete at Paine College, her alma mater. She competed in four Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) championship games — two in volleyball and two in basketball. Her outstanding collegiate achievements include helping the Paine College women's basketball team to win back-to-back Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) championships and qualify for the NCAA Division 2 National Basketball tournament. In recognition of her exceptional accomplishments, she was inducted into the Paine College Athletic Hall of Fame for basketball and volleyball in 2015.
