College of Coastal Georgia athletic director William Carlton is proud to announce that Jesse Watkins has been named the new head men’s basketball coach for the Mariners.

Watkins has been the top assistant coach for the team the last two seasons and also once played for the Mariners in the early 1990s when the team competed as junior-college program.

Watkins will succeed longtime Coastal Georgia coach Gerald Cox who retired at the end of this past season. Cox announced before the season that the 2013-14 campaign would be his 32nd and final one with the team.

Watkins will officially begin his duties as head coach on Tuesday.

Carlton, who led the search for the next coach, is excited about the future of the Coastal Georgia men’s basketball program under Watkins.

"Our search committee was first looking for someone who is a gentleman of high character, who is committed to the success of our student-athletes in the classroom and someone who is committed to excellence of our student-athletes on campus and in the community," Carlton said.

"Of course, we also wanted to find a coach who is a ‘Winner’ and brings a record of competitive success and excellence to our men’s basketball program. In our process, it became clear that Coach Watkins exemplifies all of these qualities.

"Additionally, Coach Watkins brings a wealth of knowledge to our team about the campus, the history of the team and community. He has outstanding recruiting contacts in this area, in Georgia and also nationally. As a former player here, Coach Watkins ideally can connect the solid foundation laid by Coach Cox to his own vision for future successes and championships for our men’s program."

Watkins played here under Cox from 1990-92 before going on to finish his collegiate career at Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tenn. When he returned to Coastal Georgia two years ago to become an assistant coach, Watkins became the first former player to work under Cox as a paid assistant. He was excited to come back to the local program, and now is even more excited about leading the next era of Coastal Georgia basketball.

"This is a great opportunity for me," Watkins said. "It’s a dream-come-true for me. It’s as simple as that.

"The opportunity to come back here was something I couldn’t turn down. It gave me a chance to return to a place where I played and coach with someone I really respect. The past two years have been fun and have been a great experience for me. Coach Cox put me in a position that allowed me to do the things you have to do as a head coach.

"There are certain standards that Coach Cox has established here, and now it’s my responsibility to maintain those and develop my own legacy as well."

Watkins takes the head position with 18 years of coaching experience including the last two with the Mariners. He began his coaching career in 1995 at Pineville (Ky.) High before returning to Lincoln Memorial as a graduate assistant for two years from 1997-1999.

He spent the 1999-2000 season as the head boys and girls coach at J. Frank White Academy, also in Harrogate, before returning to the college ranks at Wabash Valley Junior College, where he was an assistant for two seasons and helped the team to the National Junior College Athletic Association championship in 2001 with a 36-1 record before it finished 33-3 the following year while reaching the national semifinals.

Watkins then moved to Southern Indiana, where he worked as an assistant for two seasons, helping the team to a runner-up finish in the NCAA Division II national tournament in 2004.

He would spend one season as an assistant at both Mount Healthy High in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Ashland University in Ashland, Ohio, before becoming an administrator and head of player development at Evansville Basketball Academy in Evansville, Ind., where he worked from 2006 to 2012 before returning to Coastal Georgia. While employed by the academy, Watkins also coached the Indiana S.W.I.S.H. AAU Under-17 team which posted a 105-53 record and produced several collegiate players in his time with the team.

Watkins hopes to build the Mariners into a consistent winner and championship-caliber program in the years ahead at the four-year level.

"I’ve worked at the NAIA national tournament the last two years and have seen what it takes to get a team to that level," he said. "It all starts with recruiting and getting guys here that will buy into your system and work to maintain consistent success. You need guys who know how to play the game and do things the right way."

Watkins said he wants to put an exciting team on the floor.

"We’re going to be up-tempo, but we’re also going to value the basketball," he said. "We’re also going to work hard defensively and make our guys buy into what we want to do there. We’re going to get after it, be an in-your-face team and bring the pressure."

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