Windsor Forest Boys Basketball Coach Resigns; Danical Jackson Takes the Helm

(The narrative has been expanded to include additional details.)

Following 13 years at the helm of one of the top boys’ basketball teams in the Coastal Empire, Aaron Clark is resigning from his position at Windsor Forest High School. Assistant coach and former player Danical Jackson will be taking over the program.

Clark discussed his decision during a telephone conversation on Wednesday evening, mentioning that even though it was a tough call to make, he believed the moment was appropriate.

Clark mentioned that he simply felt it was the right moment to progress after completing 13 seasons,
I believed it was the right moment for Dancial to step in — since achieving success is impossible without a successor, and he’s ideally suited for this role.

Clark’s squads made it to the Final Four of the state playoffs on four occasions.
Including this year, when the Knights were defeated by eventual state champion Sandy Creek in the state semifinals.
In 2022, the Knights advanced to the Class 3A state championship game but were defeated by Cross Creek.

We have achieved considerable success, but my most cherished memories from coaching at Windsor Forest fall into two categories,
Clark stated, “During my inaugural year as head coach, our record stood at 3-21. Although this isn’t something I cherish, it’s hard to forget. Things could only improve after that point, and overall, we achieved quite a bit over those years.”

The inaugural Final Four journey in 2019 remains an incredible recollection, largely due to the leadership provided by Zim Fields and Shamar Norman. It was particularly meaningful as it followed us being dominated by every team in our city at the outset and then subsequently making significant improvements. Achieving this success helped us gain the admiration of both the local basketball fraternity in Savannah and statewide audiences alike.

Jackson, who is 42 years old, is poised to lead the program.
Where he played alongside his twin brother, Daniel, during their high school years — Daniel recently transferred from Calvary Day to lead the girls program at St. Andrew’s this week.

Before this, Jackson worked as an aide to Clark for seven years.
proceeding to accept an assistant coaching position with the Savannah State men’s team under Horace Broadnax in 2023.
He spent one season at SSU before returning to Windsor Forest to serve as an assistant once more this year.

Cam Turner, who serves as the athletic director at Windsor Forest, stated that Jackson will take charge of the program for the upcoming season.

Clark said Jackson has been at the heart of the program’s success over the years, and said his basketball knowledge and ability to foster strong relationships with the players will make him the perfect man for the job.

“I am deeply moved by this opportunity since I spent my childhood years in Savannah,” shared Jackson, aged 42. “I had the privilege of watching iconic mentors such as Ronald Booker and James German (from Beach High School), Utaff Gordon (the former coach at Windsor who trained Jackson), along with Tim Jordan and Frank Williams (currently coaching at Benedictine). As a child, these were some of the influential figures for me.” He continued, “Later on, Coach Clark gave me valuable support during my time at SSU where he encouraged me to grow professionally. Thus, becoming a head coach back home amidst all those memories holds immense significance for me.”

“I believe I can apply the knowledge gained from my time at Savannah State to my new position, and I’m excited about teaming up with all the excellent coaches currently in this city,” he stated. “My aim is to maintain the progress made at Windsor Forest and take things further. It’ll be a reconstructive season due to nearly all our starting players moving on. However, we were very near to claiming a state championship in 2022, and I am eager to lead us back into contention.”

Dennis Knight reports on sports for the Savannah Morning News. Reach out to him via email at Dknight@savannahnow.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @DennisKnightSMN.

The article was initially published in Savannah Morning News:
The Windsor Forest boys’ basketball coach, Aaron Clark, has resigned, and Danical Jackson will be taking his place.