JACKSONVILLE, Texas - Jacksonville College President Dr. David Erickson on Friday night opened the Curtis Carroll Fieldhouse to the public to provide one thing: transparency. The school made an announcement on Wednesday that the men's and women's basketball programs were to be suspended at the end of the 2024 Fall semester. The town hall meeting that ensued would give more insight behind the sudden stoppage. Flanked by Athletic Director Danny Long, Erickson noted the importance of financially stable athletic teams to keep the greater department afloat and more importantly, the education of student-athletes going strong. The President then lined out the financial standings of their six, and now five, separate sports, and how basketball's costs trumped them all.
Sport | Total Athletes (Full Time-Residential) | Deficit Cost Per-Athlete |
Socc, Golf, T&F, XC and Tennis | 116 | $17.25 |
Men's and Women's BBall | 26 | $5,730.00 |
Erickson remarked how due to the school not receiving funding from taxes, revenue must be generated by donors, churches, alumni and other means. "It's not wise stewardship of the resources we have to continue losing this amount of money on our basketball program," he continued. This would require more than the $100,000+ per-year needed to fund basketball. But a $4-10 million endowment would be needed in order to keep the team competitive and stocked with scholarships.
Since first recorded in 1912, Jacksonville College has fielded a basketball team. But for the time being, Curtis Carroll Fieldhouse will not be hosting JC basketball. Even the possibility of moving down from NJCAA Division I down to Division II was mentioned, but it "[...] failed to make a financial difference," according to Erikson.
Prior to the town hall, a faint drizzle faded away to show a rainbow over the Jacksonville sky. Maybe it was proof that a bright new chapter could be ahead for Jaguars basketball. But only time will truly tell.