Men's Basketball Welcomes New Faces to the Sideline

DEFIANCE, Ohio – Defiance College men's basketball welcomes two new faces to the coaching staff in the 2019-20 season. Anthony Jackson and Matthew Woods will join Head Coach Scott Cutter's coaching staff as assistant coaches.

Jackson, a familiar face to the Purple and Gold faithful, was a member of the Defiance College program from 2006-2009. While with the Yellow Jackets, Jackson earned a regular season Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference title and a pair of HCAC Tournament second place finishes. Jackson also obtained an All-HCAC Honorable Mention award during his career. 

Jackson brings a wealth of local experience to the Defiance program. With prior stops at Holgate High School as Athletic Director, and the Northwest Ohio Basketball Club, Jackson most recently led the Ayersville High School varsity program during the 2018-19 season. 

Jackson expressed his excitement in joining the Defiance College Athletics staff in saying, "It's exciting to get the chance to be back at DC and be coaching at this level. I'm looking forward to working with the coaching staff and getting to know the players."

Woods joins the Yellow Jackets coaching staff after most recently featuring as a player at Barton College (N.C.). Woods served as an integral part of the Bulldogs program. A four-year member and consistent starter, the North Carolina native finds his name in a plethora of locations in the Barton record books after featuring in 121 games. While at Barton, Woods was also named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Honors Court twice. 

Not only a highly successful player, Woods was deeply involved in academics and the coaching side of the game while in his home state. Most recently, Woods spent three years training athletes and managing workouts at 323 Sports Performance. 

In discussing his move to northwest Ohio, Woods stated, "I am excited to be a part of the Defiance College program. I am thankful for Coach Cutter giving me an opportunity to pursue my dreams!"

The Defiance College men's basketball program will begin the 2019-20 season with a pair of exhibitions against Concordia (Mich.) and Ball St. (Ind.) on October 30 and November 5, respectively. The Yellow Jackets will then begin regular season play with a home-opener against Westminster (Pa.) on November 9.