HOUSTON -- On Wednesday, the Texas Southern University Board of Regents approved President James W. Crawford III's recommendation to offer Ashley Robinson from Jackson State the vice president and director of athletics job, and to offer Corey Lowery, a Seton Hall assistant, the head men's basketball coaching position.This decision was made during a special session held to fill these two positions. The agenda allowed for the appointments, negotiations, and signing of five-year contracts. The candidates' names were not listed on the public agenda, and the personnel discussion happened in a closed session under Texas Government Code § 551.074. Details about the contracts, such as salary and buyout terms, were not shared right away.Robinson is considered the most accomplished athletics administrator in the SWAC. He led Jackson State's department starting in 2018, after serving five years as athletic director at Prairie View A&M. During his time at Jackson State, he hired Deion Sanders in 2020 and women's basketball coach Tomekia Reed, both of whom raised the conference's national profile. Jackson State won the Cricket Celebration Bowl in 2024. However, Sportico reported that during and after the Sanders era, the Tigers' athletics budget relied more on institutional support.Lowery worked for the past four seasons on Shaheen Holloway's staff at Seton Hall, which won the 2024 NIT. Before that, he was head coach at Lincoln (Pa.) for two seasons and was named CIAA Coach of the Year after the 2021-22 season. He has not yet been a head coach at the Division I level.These two hires come at a difficult time, just 11 days into the academic year, with football season already underway and about 3 months before basketball begins. The department has also faced a year of turmoil.Former athletic director Kevin Granger was put on leave in June 2025 after a former athletics staff member sued him, claiming sexual assault and harassment. Granger's attorney said the relationship was consensual, and the civil case is still ongoing. The university told Granger he was terminated in February after two outside investigations under Title VII and Title IX. In March, Crawford ordered Granger's retired No. 10 banner removed from H&PE Arena. Dr. Paula L. Jackson has been interim athletic director since then.The basketball position became available on April 7, when Johnny Jones left to join LSU's staff. Since then, interim coach Shyrone Chatman has led the program, recruited the transfer class, and put together the non-conference schedule. This work made him the top choice among the players. On Tuesday, players, students, and alums held a demonstration on campus to support Chatman, and letters in his support were sent to the administration, including one from longtime faculty member Dr. Lacey Reynolds.The board's committees showed there was disagreement. At last week's meeting, the Personnel and Athletics committees both unanimously supported Robinson, but they were divided on Lowery.The fact that the split did not stop Lowery's appointment answers a key question about who makes decisions at Texas Southern. In 2023, the board rejected then-athletic director Granger's recommendation of Alcorn State's Fred McNair for the football job and chose Cris Dishman instead. This time, the president's recommendation was accepted.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow