How Daniel Jackson has made it a smooth transition as the new Calvary girls basketball coach

When Jackie Hamilton stepped down as the Calvary Day girls basketball coach after a run to the Final Four last season, the 18-year veteran did so with the utmost confidence in the man he was handing over the reins to in Daniel Jackson.

Jackson had been an assistant with the girls squad for eight years before taking over this season, and the transition has been a smooth one as Calvary Day is playing well and in contention to win another region title.

On Friday night, the Cavs rallied from a 15-point first half deficit to knock off visiting Johnson 52-47 and then beat Beach visiting 50-45 on Saturday to improve to 15-4 on the season and 11-1 in region play. The Cavs only region loss came in a 46-44 setback at Savannah Country Day on Jan. 12. The Cavs host SCD to close out the regular season on Feb. 6.

Jackson did a good job keeping his players focused when they were behind big early on in the win over Johnson, and juniors Destini Gooddine and Bre Jones led an impressive rally. Gooddine, who celebrated her 1,000th career point in a short ceremony after making her first two free throws of the game, had a big night with 32 points and Jones was a force with 16 points. Amariah Jones was also a factor with 10 rebounds and seven steals.

"Coach Jackson knows us all so well and he stepped right into the role of head coach — it's been a natural transition," Jones said. "He knows how to motivate us. The Johnson game was intense. It was an important game that mattered for our region seeding. Coach pushed us, and we showed that we are fighters to win the game."

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Gooddine said Jackson has been a key in her development as a player.

"Coach Jackson has done everything he could to help me — opening the gym on Sundays which helped me become a better shooter and perfect my game," said Gooddine, who is averaging 17.4 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.7 steals per game. "He's a good coach who gets along with all of his players. And he teaches us to be competitive. I don't like to lose, and I think our team has a lot of potential this year. If we stick together, we can go far in the playoffs."

Jackson said Gooddine has stepped into a role as a leader after the graduation of Hannah Cail, the two-time All-Greater Savannah Player of the Year, who is now a freshman playing at Georgia College & State.

"She has excellent speed and can get downhill quickly on the break," Jackson said. "She's dynamic offensively with her 3-point shooting, her ability to get to the basket and her mid-range jumper. She listens well and has that competitive edge that makes her special."

Jackson said Jones has improved dramatically and become a well-rounded player who can do it all. Jones is also an emotional leader on and off the court for the Cavs. She is averaging 13.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.6 steals per game.

Junior Zora Geiger (11.7 points and 7.9 rebounds per game) along with sophomores Molly Smith, Da'Maris Shields and junior Amariah Jones, Jackson said.

Jackson said moving into the role as a head coach has been seamless and credits assistant coaches Sonny Noble and Suzanne Beasley for their contributions to the program.

"We're focused on developing our players and creating a team atmosphere and style of play," Jackson said. "We're playing a similar style that we did under Coach Hamilton. We want the girls to connect and understand the right way to do things.

"The loss to Savannah Country Day hurt me — they are well coached and always play so hard," Jackson said. "I didn't like the way we responded at first, but we battled back to make it close. But I think that loss is going to help us. It made the girls realize they always have to play hard."

Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Jackson has Calvary girls cruising in first year leading basketball team