Drake kept his Midwestern roots close to home when he accepted head coaching responsibilities of the Ashford University men's basketball program beginning in April of 2010.

Originally a native of Neillsville, Wis., Drake takes both his first head coaching position in Clinton and the reins of a Saints' team with an undeniably bright future as he prepares for his first season this winter.

Drake arrived at Ashford after a highly successful six-year tenure at Div. III Wartburg College in Waverly where helped the Knights to a pair of back-to-back Iowa Conference Championships (2004-05, 2005-06).

Drake was also an assistant coach at other locations within the Badger State, working at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and Eau Claire Memorial High School. He was also one of the youngest head boys basketball coaches in state history when he was at the helm of Cadott High School as an undergraduate for two years.

Drake has been actively involved in basketball camps around the nation including Five Star, Morgan Wooten, Northwestern University (Ill.), University of Wisconsin, Snow Valley Basketball School, UW-Eau Claire, UW-Stevens Point, South Dakota, Hoosier Basketball School and North Dakota State University.

A graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Drake obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology-Physical Education K-12 before achieving his Master's Degree of Arts from Viterbo University in Education.

Drake is married to his wife, Kristen, and together they have a son, Sebastian. Drake and his family currently reside in Clinton.

The Drake File

• Head Sophomore and Assistant Varsity Boys Basketball Coach - Eau Claire Memorial High School (Wis.) (2000-01)
• Head Boys Basketball Coach - Cadott High School (Wis.) (2001-03)
• Assistant Men's Basketball Coach - University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (2003-04)
• Assistant Men's Basketball Coach - Wartburg College (2004-10)
• Head Men's Basketball Coach - Ashford University (2010-Present)

Justin Jackson, a native of Madison, Wis., prepares for his second year on men's basketball coaching staff as the assistant coach this fall, a position he was promoted to in mid-June of 2009. Jackson previously served as a student assistant for the 2008-09 campaign.

Under Jackson's watchful eye in his first year as a full-time assistant, the Saints enjoyed a 20-win season that included a school-record 10 conference victories and a semifinal berth in the Midwest Collegiate Conference Tournament.

Jackson acquired his coaching certification from Iowa Lakes Community College on the Estherville campus following a successful two-year playing career. With the Lakers, he averaged almost seven points per game to go along with four rebounds and two assists, before transferring to Ashford.

In his two years with the Saints after transferring from ILCC, he started 50 of the team's 56 games while serving as captain during his senior campaign. He was named Honorable Mention All-MCC following his senior year in which he averaged 9.1 points per game and 6.1 rebounds (seventh in MCC) per contest.

Jackson wrapped up his playing career under former Ashford Head Coach Andy Eberhart and was a graduate of Madison East High School. He has coached an AAU team, Badger Sporting Goods, in Madison, Wis., over the past few summers before returning to his alma mater.

Jackson graduated in December of 2008 from Ashford with his bachelor's degree in Business Administration. He resides in Clinton and is currently working on his Master's Degree at Ashford in Organizational Management.

The Jackson File

• Head Basketball Coach - AAU's Badger Sporting Goods (2004-07)
• Student Assistant Coach - Ashford University (2008-09)
• Assistant Men's Basketball Coach - Ashford University (2009-Present)