NATCHEZ — Within the last month, Mark Jackson has gone from teaching at Haesung Immersion Middle School in South Korea to teaching history at Trinity Episcopal School.

Soon, Jackson will also step into another new role as head varsity and junior varsity girls’ basketball coach for the Lady Saints — a role he said he is ready to fill.

“My excitement is very good right now,” Jackson said. “I’m happy to be at Trinity, and I am looking forward to working with these girls and getting down to business.

“I expect big things from these girls. I’m not going to settle for just getting out there and trying your best. I want to push these girls.”

Jackson said he has some familiarity with Trinity’s past success, and he hopes that last year’s down season was a fluke.

“I hope to bring some excitement,” he said. “I know it was a down year last year for them, but I’ve seen their past record. Coach (Richy) Spears has done an excellent job with these girls, and I hope to continue that tradition at this school.”

Jackson said he has met a few of his future players in class already, but he has yet to meet with the entire team.

Jackson hopes that the Trinity girls will be able to learn his system quickly and hit the ground running next season.

“(My system) is more of an organized chaos (system),” he said. “It’s going to be exciting basketball.”

On defense Trinity will model its style after what Florida runs under Billy Donovan, Jackson said. Offensively, Jackson will have to wait and see what the team’s strengths are before he designs his attack, he said.

Jackson’s last coaching gig was at Marion County High School in Guin, Ala. He was an assistant for both girls’ and boys’ basketball teams. Jackson also has assistant and head coaching experience at schools in Tennessee and Florida.

While coaching in Florida, Jackson had the opportunity to meet Jerry West and Donovan at a coaching clinic.

“That was a great experience,” he said. “I was in awe of Coach West.”

Jackson said he hopes to get a summer workout program started as soon as his players get done playing softball.

“We have a schedule set up for workouts after softball season,” he said. “We need to get a good game plan set up.”

Jackson also has experience coaching softball, track and field, cross-country, volleyball and soccer. He said he might end up helping the Saints with other sports away from the basketball court.

Jackson will teach U.S. History, World History, economics and Mississippi studies, he said.

Jackson is from Brilliant, Ala.