At 6-foot-8 and nearly 250 pounds, Darnell Jackson is not used to being the little guy.
But, at Kansas, he has become accustomed to being the baby.
“I don’t ever remember being bigger than Darnell,” said sophomore guard J.R. Giddens, who played with both Jackson and teammate Jeremy Case on the same summer AAU team in Oklahoma. “But I still always call him ‘Baby,’ because he’s a freshman and he doesn’t know as much as he thinks he knows.”
Jackson, who has always been the youngest and biggest of the three when playing together, said he had accepted his role in the group.
“I was the baby then, so they looked out for me,” Jackson said. “Now I’m up here, so I’m still the baby, but it’s cool.”
Jackson’s other nicknames include “D-Block,” coined by teammate Mike Lee, and “Big D”, which he went by in high school. These names might be more appropriate to describe his style of play. Jackson will bring hard-nosed defense and physical play inside the paint, helping to fill the void left by departed senior Jeff Graves.
The power forward is also known for his smoothness, which earned him a second nickname from Giddens.
“A name I call him is ‘Big Graceful,'” Giddens said, “because when you see a big guy go down there and lay it up or dunk, it might not be the most beautiful thing. When Darnell does it, it’s graceful.”
From Midwest City High School in Oklahoma City, Jackson remains a student of the game. He began playing basketball just four years ago in ninth grade, but said that shouldn’t be a disadvantage for him in the competition for playing time.
“You just have to go show everybody what you can do,” Jackson said. “I’m not worrying about it.”
His parents — lifelong University of Oklahoma fans — wanted him to stay close to home, but Jackson chose a different path.
Instead, he followed friends Giddens and Case to become the third Oklahoman on the Kansas roster.
“I didn’t see myself staying in Oklahoma, because I felt back at home there’s nothing there for me,” Jackson said. “I wanted to get out of state and experience a new life by myself.”
Jackson said that Case and Giddens had already been a positive influence on him in adjusting to college life. He said the two helped him with questions both on and off the court regarding practices and classes.
Coach Bill Self said that in addition to his physical play, Jackson’s passing ability stood out most on recruiting visits.
“You don’t recruit very many 250-pound guys because they can pass the ball,” Self said, “but I’ve always thought he was a good passer.”
Self said that Jackson had been a pleasant surprise in preseason practices, with the forward showing his potential in the Jayhawks’ open scrimmage Saturday. In 18 combined minutes, Jackson had an impressive scoring line, contributing 13 points, nine rebounds, five offensive rebounds, two steals and no turnovers.
His early performance brought compliments not only from Self but also senior All-American candidate Wayne Simien, who said that Jackson reminded him a lot of himself when he was a freshman.
Jackson still admits he has work to do on the offensive end, but he looks to gain both experience and knowledge in the upcoming Canada trip.
“I’m ready to go out and learn — just learn more about the game,” Jackson said.
In the meantime, he’ll just try to hold his own against his teammates and friends while coping with the fact that he’s still just the baby.
“He was talking stuff in a pickup game, and I was like ‘Hey, kid, you haven’t hit a shot yet. You’re just a baby,'” Giddens said. “But he’s a good guy and a good player. He’s better than what people think.”