But that run-and-gun style offense never materialized in his first two seasons in Mount Pleasant, compounded last month by the firing of Ernie Zeigler, the coach who recruited him.

Enter Keno Davis, a four-year head coach whose teams have ranked near the top of the nation in scoring. In 2009-10, his Providence Friars ranked third in the nation with 82.4 points per game.

“I’m excited right now,” Jackson said after Davis was introduced during a Tuesday afternoon news conference. “It’s a new start, a new beginning for the program. He has a great resume, seems like a great guy, and I’m excited for him to start and see what he’s looking for.”

Jackson is so excited, in fact, he appears likely to stay and finish out his career in the maroon and gold. After word leaked Monday night about the Davis hire, he called his high school basketball coach, Rob Stircula, who told him that their offense mimicked the one Davis ran at Providence.

That, along with the idea he could become the leader – Trey Zeigler and Austin McBroom appear ready to leave at semester’s end – has Jackson likely staying put.

“I started my career here, and I’m thinking about staying,” Jackson said. “I just want to meet him, talk to him more before I make any (final) decisions.”

He is one of the few players to have kept a low profile publicly, avoiding social-media sites like Twitter. While Trey and McBroom both indicated almost immediately after Zeigler’s firing of their intentions to leave, Jackson kept quiet. Monday night, he tweeted “#KENODAVIS head coach,” and then retweeted several others expressing excitement over the hire.

CMU players had an introductory meeting with Davis for about 15 minutes Tuesday in which he told them of his offensive philosophy and how he expects them to handle themselves. They will then begin to introduce themselves, through one-on-one meetings, with Davis over the next several weeks.

All players were present at the meeting, including McBroom, but Jackson said he was unsure of the status of others.

“I really don’t know what they’re doing,” he said. “We’re a team, and I want some of my teammates to be here. If it’s not the best opportunity for them, the best fit, then they should do whatever is best for them.

Keel still ‘unsure’

Another question mark heading into next season will be the status of Austin Keel.

Recruited out of Winter Springs, Fla., by Zeigler and his staff, Keel was considered a sharp-shooter unafraid of firing up the 3-ball. In his freshman season at CMU, he shot 30 percent in 3-point attempts, good for third-best on the team.

Keel says he is unsure about his future and wants to sit down with Davis before making a final decision.

“I didn’t know much about him, but I knew he had a pretty successful career at Drake and then went to Providence and some things didn’t work out,” Keel said. “I knew he won national coach of the year, so he must be doing something right.”

On Tuesday, Davis told members of the media that players in the program will have the opportunity to stay on.

“As you meet them, whatever they’ve said publicly, you give them a chance,” he said. “Let’s have a conversation, let’s see what’s going to be best for that young man and for us as a program.”