Fairleigh Dickinson promotes assistant Jack Castleberry to replace coach Tobin Anderson
Momentum is a crucial thing in college basketball games – and in college basketball coaching hires, too.
The brass at Fairleigh Dickinson University has that figured out.
Just hours after head coach Tobin Anderson informed the Knights’ players of his intention to replace Rick Pitino at Iona, FDU promoted his top assistant to the helm on the heels of a sensational showing in March Madness, the school announced Tuesday. He will be introduced in a Thursday 10 a.m. press conference at the Rothman Center.
Jack Castleberry has a tough act to follow, but his familiarity with the terrain – meshing players into a run-and-press system and operating the basketball program within the university’s athletics ecosystem – ensures as smooth a transition as possible. That’s the idea after FDU improved from 4-22 to 21-16 during Anderson’s one season in charge, a campaign that culminated with a shocking upset of Big Ten champion Purdue in the NCAA Tournament before a hard-fought loss to Florida Atlantic in the Round of 32.
Here are three things to know about Castleberry:
1-Came from The Citadel: The 40-year-old came to FDU with Anderson last spring after spending six years at The Citadel, where he rose through the ranks from director of basketball operations to top assistant and recruiting coordinator. In December 2021 he served as acting head coach for one game, during which the Bulldogs drilled 18 3-pointers in a 107-81 loss at Duke. That broke the record by most 3s from a visitor to Cameron Indoor Stadium.
2-Siena connection: Castleberry served as a women’s basketball assistant at Siena from 2012-2014, overlapping one season with Anderson’s time there as a men’s assistant under Mitch Buonaguro. He’s been in coaching since 2007, breaking in as a Division 1 assistant at Tennessee-Martin.
3-Played at VMI: Hailing from Virginia, he played guard at VMI and was a part-time starter his final two seasons there, captaining the Keydets in 2006-07 while averaging 1.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 steals in 13 minutes per game. VMI has been known for his high-octane offense; the team averaged 100 points per game his senior year. He graduated from VMI with a bachelor’s degree in economics and business.
A continuity hire was important for FDU. Although the Knights top two guards Demetre Roberts and Grant Singleton – postgrads Anderson brought over from his previous gig at Division 2 St. Thomas Aquinas College in Sparkill, N.Y. – are out of eligibility, plenty of talent remains. There are junior guards Joe Munden Jr. and Sean Moore and sophomore forwards Ansley Almonor and Cameron Tweedy, all major contributors to the program’s breakthrough this past season.
It behooved FDU to move quickly, to avoid a Saint Peter’s-style exodus that took place after the Peacocks made a Cinderella run to the 2022 Elite Eight. Head coach Shaheen Holloway took the job at his alma mater Seton Hall and the top seven players entered the transfer portal before the vacancy was filled.
Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. He is an Associated Press Top 25 voter. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Fairleigh Dickinson hires new head coach to replace Anderson
