ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT Nashad Mackey

It probably wasn’t the Wendy’s chicken sandwich that sealed the deal for a young Nashad Mackey to pick Daytona State to play basketball, but he has repaid his coaches’ generosity many times over – first by becoming one of DSC’s most decorated players of all time, and then returning last June as the Assistant Men’s Basketball coach, helping take the team to 27-4 overall, 14-1 in conference play, plus a trip to the FCSAA Tournament as the #2 seed.

Born in Nassau, his older brother introduced him to the game and soon he was playing for his middle and high school teams and at camps in the summer. A relative convinced his parents he would get more visibility in the U.S., and, at 16, Nashad emigrated to 2A powerhouse Champagnat Catholic School in Hialeah, FL. It was there he caught the attention of DSC’s assistant coach Ian Gibson.

“Daytona State is maybe one of the greatest recruiting stories you will ever hear,” Mackey said. “I was taking a final in the school cafeteria on a Thursday and felt this buzz in my left pocket. I asked to step outside, assuming it was an emergency, but it was Coach Gibson. He mentioned they enjoyed watching me play and wanted me to travel up for a workout and earn a potential scholarship.”

Mackey turned in his test and the next morning hopped a Greyhound to Orlando where the coaching staff picked him up for the trip to DSC.

“I remember walking into the gym and smiling as hard as I could,” he said. “I rarely played in a gym growing up, and my high school didn’t have the facilities.

It was an awesome experience.” The coaching staff offered him a scholarship on the spot. On the way back to the Greyhound station, they bought him a Wendy’s chicken sandwich and told him to think about it with his family.

“At that point it was my only option and there was no need to think,” he said. “I called the coaches back in 30 minutes and said I was in…I was committed. The rest is history.”

And what a history it was. While working on his A.A. degree, Mackey set the court on fire with accolades that included 1st Team All-Conference, AllRegion Team, JUCO All-American, and Conference Player of the Year.

Graduating in 2017, he moved across the street to Embry-Riddle where he earned a B.S. in Human Factors Psychology and a Master of Science in Leadership. When he wasn’t hitting the books, he was on the court, serving as a member of the Bahamas Men’s National Team, participating in the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games and the 2020 and 2022 FIBA AmeriCup Qualifiers. He helped guide the ERAU team to a 24-10 record in 2021-2022 and reach the NCAA Division II Sweet Sixteen.

“I’ve been blessed to not only be part of the family at ERAU but to earn two prestigious degrees while being mentored by an amazing coach – Steve Ridder,” Mackey said. “Coach Ridder impacted my life as a husband, father, and coach, and, most importantly how to be a servant leader.”

One key lesson Ridder shared was “Find your purpose, maximize your potential, and sow seeds to benefit others.” As a graduate assistant coach, Mackey worked with Ridder to develop personal and academic development plans for each player.

“I think every student-athlete is different. It takes time to build genuine relationships and find ways to help them develop in all facets of their lives and become better student-athletes,” he said. “I’ve adopted the Student, Person, Player model (from Embry-Riddle) and I think it helps me channel my focus on those three areas when working with our student-athletes.”

Mackey is applying that philosophy to his new role.

“It was an opportunity to return to a place that I call home, and an opportunity to grow in my career,” he said. “It was a win-win situation.”

And he would have chosen DSC even without the chicken sandwich.