Jack Castleberry – Coach at Fairleigh Dickinson

After a brief stint in private sector work, Castleberry decided to return to his true calling as coach at Fairleigh Dickinson. Within his second year leading the Knights he led them to one of the greatest upsets ever witnessed in NCAA Tournament history against No.1 seed Purdue University – with which Castleberry held court at that time as No. 1.

Castleberry served in his usual role of assistant coach but also assumed acting head coaching responsibilities for Citadel’s match against Duke on November 22, 2021.

Early Life and Education

Jack Castleberry was raised poor in rural Virginia where his mother taught him the value of hard work and perseverance. At Virginia Military Institute (VMI), Castleberry joined their basketball team as a freshman, eventually receiving a scholarship under Duggar Baucom who became his “second father”.

After graduating from VMI in 2007, Castleberry took an assistant coaching position at Tennessee-Martin, before returning to work under Baucom from 2008-12 at his alma mater VMI. Since 2012 he has also joined Siena College’s women’s program as assistant coach.

Castleberry first joined Tobin Anderson’s staff at FDU and, following its historic run through the tournament, was promoted to head coach. As such, he oversaw recruiting efforts, scouting reports, game strategy development, day-to-day operations as well as recruiting. Castleberry lives with Kara in Bergen County along with their daughters Amelia and Harper.

Professional Career

Castleberry made an immediate impact as a coach during his two season playing career, after joining former VMI and Citadel head coach Duggar Baucom’s staff at Siena College where he helped recruit MAAC player of the year Matt Frierson while developing first team All-SoCon pick Hayden Rice. Castleberry also provided practice session planning assistance as well as on-court instruction during games as well as managing recruiting and scheduling duties.

After several years, he took a job in financial industry but quickly felt drawn back into basketball. In 2021, he replaced Baucom at The Citadel, leading them to their most notable victory ever when they beat Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Achievement and Honors

Castleberry soon joined Coach Duggar Baucom’s Keydets coaching staff, serving as captain and leading them to one of their best seasons ever – in over 10 years!

In 2021, he moved to The Citadel as their Director of Basketball Operations and took on duties such as creating game plans, overseeing on-floor instruction during games and recruiting new members for their Bulldog team.

Castleberry earned his first head coaching opportunity with Fairleigh Dickinson University of Teaneck, New Jersey in 2023 when Tobin Anderson left to coach Iona College – making this achievement all the sweeter for this former VMI standout.

Personal Life

After an outstanding high school career at Cape Henry Collegiate, Castleberry joined VMI’s men’s basketball team as an unscholarship player under Coach Duggar Baucom and quickly emerged into a key role under his guidance as team captain en route to an impressive NCAA Tournament run as part of his keydets’ Keydets’ experience.

At both UT-Martin and FDU, Castleberry assisted in recruiting players, handling scheduling, scouting, game strategy and day-to-day operations. When former FDU head coach Tobin Anderson left to become Iona head coach, athletic director Bradford Hurlbut promoted Castleberry to lead the Knights.

Castleberry’s move reignited his passion for basketball. He had been attending AAU tournaments on weekends, so this move provided an ideal chance for him to reawaken his love for the game and become actively involved again. Now, Castleberry oversees defense play while coaching players like Matt Frierson, Kaiden Rice, and Hayden Brown.

Net Worth

Castleberry is one of the most prominent American bodybuilders, fitness & fashion models, entrepreneurs and social media personalities with an astonishing net worth of $2 Million. His income streams come mainly from personal training clients, brand endorsements sponsorship and collaborations.

Former Virginia Military Institute walk-on and captain, Jason has extensive coaching experiences under his belt and created professional development opportunities for young coaches.

Fairleigh Dickinson didn’t have to look far to hire their new men’s basketball coach, Castleberry. Anderson made history during the 2021 NCAA Tournament by becoming only the second 16-seed to topple a 1-seed. Castleberry promises to continue his high-energy approach towards managing Fairleigh Dickinson’s men’s program.