Keegan: Jackson most improved

By Tom Keegan     Dec 30, 2007

Yale University’s basketball players all know how to spell the word dribble. And they know how to define it, including the meaning as it pertains to the sport of basketball. As for demonstrating that definition, well, doing so against a backcourt as talented and determined as Kansas University’s was way over their heads Saturday night inside Allen Fieldhouse.

The backcourt is where KU’s most talent resides, and it’s the biggest reason this team is so upset-proof. Yet, it’s in the frontcourt where the team’s most improved player works. Tireless Darnell Jackson looked more confident than ever. And more athletic. And more skilled. And happier.

He played like a senior savoring every minute. In 24 minutes of an 86-53 victory against the scrawnier, slower Ivy League team, Jackson scored 20 points, had five rebounds, two assists and one memorable steal early in the second half that resulted in a three-point play that included a nifty spin dribble under the hoop.

“That was about as good a play as I’ve seen in a while,” KU coach Bill Self said. “For a guy his size to be that agile, steal it, kick it, run it down, fall down, dribble it, do a spin move and finish, that was pretty good. And you could tell by his smile he was pretty proud of it. That was a great play. Great play.”

Jackson made everybody in the seats smile and then hit his free throw. He and Russell Robinson appear to be the crowd’s favorites. They’ve grown so much since arriving as freshmen who were not nearly as sure of their abilities and their places in big-time college basketball as they are now.

“I got goose bumps,” Jackson said of standing at the free-throw line, soaking in the roar. “The crowd was great. They were great for me.”

It was far from the only mutual admiration moment between Jackson and the audience that packed the place. He had three first-half dunks, including one alley-oop in which he showed sure hands and agility corralling the pass from Brandon Rush. He also hit two jumpers and scored on a tip, one of his three offensive rebounds.

Averaging 11.5 points and 6.5 rebounds, Jackson is channeling his success the right way. The better he plays, the more he craves improvement.

“Like I always say to myself before every game, believing in my own hype will destroy me,” Jackson said.

Instead of basking in the glory of another strong performance, Jackson will ask himself what he can do better the next time he plays in a game. The answer: He can get more than the two defensive rebounds he produced Saturday, even though the next opponent, Boston College on the road, is far tougher.

Jackson traced part of his improvement this season to the work he put in over the summer, battling with the Oklahoma City University players.

“I was in the gym for four or five hours every day,” Jackson said. “If I didn’t have a ride, I’d walk two miles to the gym.”

It was time well spent. Jackson has shot .674 from the field and has made half of his four three-point shot attempts. He leads the team in rebounding, but can do a better job of it. He reached double figures just once, with 13 against USC. Because Jackson can do a better job of it, it’s difficult to imagine he won’t. He cares about doing the right thing.

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