DURHAM, N.C. - Duke Women's Basketball Head Coach Joanne P. McCallie announced two staff changes on Wednesday as Candice M. Jackson joins the staff as an assistant coach, while former Blue Devil men's basketball standout Chris Carrawell has been named a special assistant.
Jackson, who recently completed her second season as an assistant coach at Wake Forest where she served as the recruiting coordinator and worked with the guards, will serve as a recruiting coordinator along with current assistant coach Trisha Stafford-Odom and coach the guards at Duke. Prior to her time with the Demon Deacons, Jackson was an assistant coach at the University of Richmond as she helped take the team from a 13-17 record in 2005-06 to a 24-10 finish in 2008-09.
"I am obviously very excited to have Candice join our staff," commented McCallie. "She is a young person with great enthusiasm and a love for learning as well as somebody who also coached as a student coach in the national championship game in 2005. I have had a chance to recruit Candice and to coach her. It is great to have a former player with her credentials after serving six years as an assistant -- four with Richmond and two with Wake Forest.
A four-year letterwinner at Michigan State from 2000-04, Jackson played as a guard for McCallie and was Coach P's first recruit at MSU. Jackson served as team captain as both a junior and a senior and led the team to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2003 and 2004. She earned her degree in Family Community Services from Michigan State.
"I am really excited, very appreciative and grateful for the opportunity Coach P has given me," said Jackson. "It is something I am very much looking forward to. To be at Duke is an excellent opportunity both professionally and personally. I am excited about reconnecting with my coach - Joanne P. McCallie - since I played for her and was her first recruit; so we go back 11 years. Also, when I was a graduate assistant at Michigan State I worked under coach Al Brown, which was a great learning experience. I am just very happy to reconnect with good people, people that are doing things the right way and helping to grow women's basketball."
After graduating in 2004, Jackson remained at Michigan State as a graduate assistant for the 2004-05 squad that played in the NCAA Championship game. Jackson hails from Lansing, Mich., where she was a three-time MVP at Lansing Everett High School and guided her team to the state title game as a senior.
"I am really impressed by Candice's growth and development," commented McCallie. "I am very excited about what she can bring to Duke and to our student-athletes, relative to what we teach here and how we communicate with our student-athletes."
Jackson replaces Samantha Williams, who was an assistant coach with the Blue Devils the past four seasons.
Carrawell has spent the last four seasons at Duke with the men's basketball program under Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski in a variety of different roles. He was the Assistant Video Coordinator/Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach in 2010-11 and Graduate Assistant/Head Team Manager from 2008-10, after being hired in 2007-08 as the Duke
Athletics Outreach Coordinator.
"Chris is somebody I have known since I have been at Duke," said McCallie. "It is wonderful to have another Duke graduate on staff that has been through Duke and can offer his experiences. I just love how he works with people, his communication skills, his dedication to Duke and his willingness to work very, very hard in creating excitement around the program."
In his new role with McCallie's program, Carrawell will assist the staff in on-campus recruiting, develop game strategies, break down game film and help plan practices, assist with summer camps and contribute in staff meetings.
"I have been working with the women's program from afar for the last three years and I have always been a huge fan of the women's game," said Carrawell. "Even when I was in school, to see our women's team back in 1999 upset Tennessee, it seems like a long time ago -- so I have always supported the women's program. I've had an chance to work with the women the last couple of years in the summer -- they have worked hard and represented Duke well. Anytime you have the opportunity to help your school is great. For me to be joining Coach P's staff is something I am looking forward to. It is a wonderful opportunity."
Carrawell, the 2000 ACC Player of the Year and a first team All-America selection, was a member of the Duke men's basketball program from 1996-2000. He was also a two-time All-ACC selection in his career with the Blue Devils. He is tied for 27th on the all-time scoring list at Duke with 1,455 career points and also ranks 14th in school history with 0.8 blocks per game and tied for sixth with 116 overall wins.
Carrawell helped the Blue Devils dominate the ACC during his tenure finishing his career with 66 conference victories, second most all-time by a Duke player. A second round draft pick by the NBA's San Antonio Spurs, Carrawell played overseas after graduating from Duke. He last played in Holland in 2007 where his team finished second after losing in the championship finals.
"I feel very fortunate with both hires," said McCallie. "I am very close with each one of them and I feel that each one of them is a true extension of me and what I am trying to teach. I think that is very important, especially as we enter year five."
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