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- Jun 12, 2012
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I went to the Ransom-Booker T. Washington game last night, which was the regional quarterfinal matchup. Everything you look for in a football player who plays basketball, Jackson has. He finished the game with 26 points and was matched up with Trey Mourning (Alonzo's son and a top basketball recruit) for most of the night.
The first thing that jumped out to me about him on the court was that he does not have the look of a "basketball player" as far as body composition. His lower half is very strong and he has bulked up tremendously in the last year. His size will not be an issue on the football field, especially as he continues to focus on adding weight over the next few months.
In the first half, Booker T. picked up full court, where Jackson was at the top of the press. He was all over the court and had several steals where he showed off his wingspan and high pointed the ball. He is an extremely fluid athlete for his size, but was not afraid to use his body down low even when being covered by Mourning. There were a few instances where Jackson caught the ball in the high post and just overpowered the 6-9 Mourning to get to the basket.
In the second half, the Tornadoes picked up man-to-man and Jackson was covering Mourning. In the first half, when Booker T used more zone, Mourning had 16 points. Mourning scored 9 points in the second half, but almost all of the points he scored were a very difficult and Jackson seemed to frustrate him. On a related note, Mourning is a player...he's not just a name. Good touch around the rim with a smooth jumper for his size.
Nearly all of Jackson's points were at the rim on either dunks or layups. Like I said, the most encouraging thing that I took away from watching him is that he's not all that far away physically from being able to contribute on the football field. Jackson played the entire game as well and was playing his best as the game wore on. He always seemed to be around the basketball, which is another trait to look for in a defensive player in football.
I've been singing Jackson's praises for about six months now and last night validated a lot of my beliefs about him from a physical standpoint. Miami got a steal.
The first thing that jumped out to me about him on the court was that he does not have the look of a "basketball player" as far as body composition. His lower half is very strong and he has bulked up tremendously in the last year. His size will not be an issue on the football field, especially as he continues to focus on adding weight over the next few months.
In the first half, Booker T. picked up full court, where Jackson was at the top of the press. He was all over the court and had several steals where he showed off his wingspan and high pointed the ball. He is an extremely fluid athlete for his size, but was not afraid to use his body down low even when being covered by Mourning. There were a few instances where Jackson caught the ball in the high post and just overpowered the 6-9 Mourning to get to the basket.
In the second half, the Tornadoes picked up man-to-man and Jackson was covering Mourning. In the first half, when Booker T used more zone, Mourning had 16 points. Mourning scored 9 points in the second half, but almost all of the points he scored were a very difficult and Jackson seemed to frustrate him. On a related note, Mourning is a player...he's not just a name. Good touch around the rim with a smooth jumper for his size.
Nearly all of Jackson's points were at the rim on either dunks or layups. Like I said, the most encouraging thing that I took away from watching him is that he's not all that far away physically from being able to contribute on the football field. Jackson played the entire game as well and was playing his best as the game wore on. He always seemed to be around the basketball, which is another trait to look for in a defensive player in football.
I've been singing Jackson's praises for about six months now and last night validated a lot of my beliefs about him from a physical standpoint. Miami got a steal.
