Jack Castleberry ’07, who received the Spirit of VMI Award for his outstanding performance as a cadet-athlete, was named basketball head coach at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, New Jersey, March 22, 2023.—Photo courtesy VMI Keydets.
Jack Castleberry ’07, former VMI basketball cadet-athlete and assistant coach, was named the next head basketball coach at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, New Jersey, March 22, 2023.
The Virginia Beach, Virginia, native played at VMI from 2003–07 and was a three-year letterman and two-year starter for the Keydets. His cadetship included becoming team captain as a 1st Class cadet 2006–07 when he helped the Keydets to a 14-win season—the team’s highest number of wins in a decade.
Castleberry led the Keydets to their first conference tournament final in 20 years. During that same year, the Keydets led the nation in scoring offense (100.9 ppg), three-point field goals made (13.4 per game), assists (20.6), and steals per game (14.8). They also set NCAA records for three-point field goals made in a season (442), three-point field goals attempted (1383), three-point field goals made per game (13.4), steals in a season (490), and steals per game (14.8).
For his efforts on the playing court, Castleberry was bestowed with the Spirit of VMI Award by the coaching staff for his leadership, toughness, and hustle. He graduated from the Institute in May 2007 with a degree in economics and business.
After one season as an assistant coach at the University of Tennessee – Martin 2007–08, he joined the VMI coaching staff under Duggar Baucom, his former head coach. Castleberry served as an assistant coach through the 2014–15 season until the staff departed for new coaching positions at The Citadel.
He served under Baucom at The Citadel from 2015–22. In 2022, Castleberry took an assistant coaching position at Fairleigh Dickinson.
Tobin Anderson, former FDU head coach, took the head coaching job at Iona University, which Rick Pitino recently vacated. FDU moved quickly, promoting Castleberry as its next head coach within 24 hours of Anderson’s departure.
Fairleigh Dickinson, which defeated VMI by a narrow 93-89 score this past November at the Longwood Tournament in Farmville, Virginia, entered the national conversation after defeating No. 1 seed Purdue as a No. 16 seed in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, only the second time in NCAA history that a No. 16 defeated a No. 1.
Castleberry is now a member of a small and unique group of VMI graduates who are or were college basketball head coaches:
Editor’s Note: This story first appeared at vmikeydets.com.
