UAB men’s basketball head coach Rob Ehsan announced Thursday that Turner Battle has been promoted to associate head coach and Dannton Jackson and Kevin Devitt have joined the staff as assistant coaches.
Battle recently completed his second year at UAB and has helped the Blazers reach the postseason in back-to-back seasons. Last season, Battle and the Blazers won a school-record 26 games and captured the first Conference USA regular season title since 2011 with a 16-2 league record.
“I’m excited to elevate Turner Battle to associate head coach,” UAB head coach Rob Ehsan said. “He has been instrumental in the recent success of our program while sharing the same vision and commitment to the well-being of our team and student-athletes as I do. Turner has all the qualities that make him destined to be a very successful head coach in the future.”
Prior to arriving at UAB in 2014, Battle served as an assistant coach at Buffalo (2007-13) and Chattanooga (2013-14).
“I am appreciative of the opportunity to continue my coaching career at UAB alongside Coach Ehsan,” Battle said. “I’m also excited about working with this team and helping them become better players and young men.”
Jackson spent the last 13 seasons as the head coach at Xavier University of Louisiana New Orleans, winning 69.3 percent of his games with a career record of 294-130. Additionally, Jackson was 133-63 in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference and won five regular-season championships, including three straight from 2011-14.
“Dannton Jackson brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to our coaching staff, and I am thrilled to have someone of his caliber on the sidelines,” Ehsan said. “He is a winner with a proven track record of success than spans nearly three decades. His expertise and familiarity recruiting the southeast will also be a benefit for our program.”
Jackson guided the Gold Rush to its 10th appearance in the NAIA Division I National Championship following the 2015-16 season, marking a school-record sixth consecutive season in which Xavier has earned a bid. He is the only men’s basketball coach in school history to reach the NAIA’s national tournament more than three times.
Most recently, Jackson guided Xavier to its school-record 16th consecutive winning season after finishing last year with a 21-13 record. He has also led the Gold Rush to 93 appearances in the NAIA Division I Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, which includes 68 of 69 polls from Oct. 25, 2010-Jan. 19, 2016.
“I am excited to be joining the UAB family and look forward to being part of a great staff and an exciting, talented team,” Jackson said. “This is an exciting new chapter of my life, and I can’t wait to get to work and help continue the long legacy of outstanding basketball at UAB.”
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. He was also a court coach for the 2012 USA Basketball Men’s U18 National Team and president of the Louisiana Association of Basketball Coaches in 2008-09.
Devitt returns to Birmingham following one season as an assistant coach at Wright State, helping the Raiders to a school-record 13 Horizon League victories and an appearance in the Horizon League Tournament championship game.
A 2010 graduate of DePaul University, Devitt spent three years at UAB, including one season as the director of operations after previously serving as the administrative assistant and associate director of operations during the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons.
“I am very excited to have Kevin Devitt returning to UAB as an assistant coach,” Ehsan said. “He played an integral part in building our program in his previous tenure here, so I know the type of values and level of dedication he represents. He is a terrific recruiter and is a rising star in the profession, and our players have tremendous respect and appreciation for him.”
Devitt also coached three seasons at Roosevelt University in Chicago, two seasons at Richards High School and one year at Lindblom High School. His coaching resume also includes working the Reebok Breakout Challenge in Philadelphia, Pa., as well as the Jim Whitesell Basketball Camp and the Dwyane Wade Skills Academy.
“I am delighted and humbled to join Coach Ehsan’s staff at UAB,” Devitt said. “This is an incredible opportunity and a dream come true. Working alongside Coach Ehsan for three years showed me how great of a coach he is, and I am thankful for the confidence he showed in me by brining me on board. I can’t wait to get started and help carry on the tradition of UAB basketball.”
