Stu Jackson Starts as New WCC Commissioner

Stu Jackson, who begins his first official day as Commissioner of the West Coast Conference today, has some history with the league. He played his senior season of college basketball at Seattle University when it was part of the Conference.

All these years later, Jackson said the difference in the WCC is night and day. Jackson recalls playing in small facilities, including one arena that had a stage beyond one end of the floor rather than seats for fans. “The players are a lot better; I can tell you that,” he said.

Jackson played the first three seasons of his college career at Oregon, then transferred after suffering an injury he thought would end his days on the court. “Seattle was an altogether great experience,” he said. 

“It’s a Jesuit school and the amount of personal care and attention that I got academically there was really beneficial to me as opposed to being at a larger school,” he said. “There was a stark difference and I’ve always valued that to this day.”

Jackson brings a great deal of leadership experience to the WCC. His resume includes coaching and working in the front office for NBA teams, along with 13 years in the league office. He comes to the WCC following nine years as the BIG EAST Conference’s Executive Associate Commissioner for Men’s Basketball.

The WCC felt like “a natural fit,” he said, because he believes the WCC and BIG EAST share values across the board. “I have been able to see first-hand the power of those values at work and what it can really produce,” he said. “All of that translates to a holistic approach of being competitive and doing it with integrity.”

Jackson’s mission is to continue to help the conference grow, but he is impressed by how far it’s come.

“I’m very excited,” he said. “I think [the WCC is] on the cusp of being very good over the next several years. Gonzaga has been the gold standard that has incentivized other conference members to improve. I’m glad Gonzaga has been so dominant because, in the end, I think it’s going to prove beneficial to the entire league.”

The evidence of that extends beyond the fact that Saint Mary’s has challenged the Zags for men’s basketball conference supremacy. The two shared the WCC regular-season title this year.

“The middle of the conference is really strengthened,” he added. Case in point, LMU previously beating both the eventual No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in the [University Credit Union WCC Men’s Basketball] Tournament. If you believe in progression, there’s going to be a trickle-down effect. 

“It was just Gonzaga. Then it was Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s. And now we’re able to throw a couple more schools at least into the competitive mix. Will it trickle down to the schools that haven’t had as much success? I think so. The bar is there.”

Jackson also discussed the current NCAA landscape and the WCC’s role. 

“We keep talking about this collegiate landscape,” Jackson stated. “It’s fluid. It doesn’t mean we’re going to go out and do anything drastic. However, we have to stay on top of what is going on in this business, be as proactive as we can in an effort to enhance ourselves as a conference.

Continuing to elevate the WCC is a priority for Jackson as he takes over as Commissioner. 

“Everything is on the table as we look at how to elevate our Conference,” Jackson said. “We need to stay abreast of what is happening in this changing landscape. For us, relevancy is the key. When you talk about relevancy in college sports, you have to look at areas like the way conferences are growing and realigning. You have to look at the current broadcast setup and where you want to be.”

Jackson, the former student-athlete, will focus on the well-being of the great student-athletes across the Conference as he begins his new leadership role. 

"You have focus on the student-athlete,” he said. “That encompasses a variety of different areas, whether it be their health and well-being, opportunities as it relates to NIL or having a comfort level with the people they’re around from a diversity, equity and inclusion standpoint. Those are just a few items I would focus on in earnest that would hopefully help propel us to a different level.”