Aug 10th, 2023
Jackson State Community College (JSCC) has selected Cameron Cates as Head Coach for Men’s Basketball. Cates, a former JSCC student-athlete, comes to the team from Western Texas College where he was the Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach.
Cates brings with him coaching and player development experience at both the community college and university level. In his most recent role, he oversaw all aspects of player development, strength and conditioning, and recruitment to and from the junior college, including the team’s academic progress of a minimum 3.2 grade point average. Cates also brings on fundraising and organizational experience during his time at Pratt Community College and Newman University.
His coaching career began with the Tennessee Flight West Basketball Club back in 2017 as the club’s Head Coach. He also served as the Assistant Men’s and Women’s Basketball Coach at JSCC where he assisted in all aspects of practice and game preparations.
Many of Cates recruitment contacts from his time in West Tennessee both at the Club and JSCC levels remain to this day, allowing Cates to make an immediate impact to the team’s recruitment efforts.
“Jackson State has a proven track record of being an excellent basketball program,” said Steve Cornelison, JSCC Athletic Director. “Cates has shown throughout his career that he knows what it takes to develop a competitive team and under his direction, and with his recruitment knowledge of the area, I believe we will see a return of the Green Jays that West Tennessee know and love. I’m honored to select Cates as the new head coach and excited to see what the future holds for Men’s Green Jay Basketball.”
The Men’s Basketball program was the 2019-20 Regional Runner-Up and has had multiple divisional championship appearances during the program’s history.
Cates played for the Green Jays from 2014-2016. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus in Business and Accounting from the University of Tennessee at Martin and a Master of Business Administration with a focus in Leadership from Newman University.
Cates will be available for comment during a press conference in August.
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