Nick KrugIntroduce a negative and shoot it down to ingratiate yourself with the famous subject you are interviewing. It’s a tactic that far too many sportswriters use, perhaps out of insecurity, maybe because they think it will make the subject believe they are on his or her side.
Whatever the motivation, it’s a dead-end device. The only ones truly on an athlete’s side are his or her teammates and coaches. The rest of us are on the outside looking in, treated to entertainment that can trigger goosebumps and/or cringes.
Kansas freshman basketball player Josh Jackson did not get drawn into such silliness during a Big 12 Media Day that he handled so well simply because he naturally handles people so well.
“How much do you hate this?” one reporter asked him of Media Day.
Why would a competitive person hate something that he does so well? If Jackson hated it, even Leonardo DiCaprio would benefit from taking acting lessons from the Detroit native.
“Why are people always asking you about your shot?” asked another. “You averaged 27 points last year. There must not be anything wrong with your shot if you can average 27 points, right?”
Self-confident and grounded, Jackson’s answer revealed how well equipped he is to prevent the impending onslaught of fawning worship from turning him into a conceited snob.
“I think my mechanics could get a lot better, confidence in my shot could get a lot better,” Jackson said. “Confidence is a huge factor.”
In goes the question, out comes the truth. Much appreciated. He instantly dissolves the sugar that coats such questions.
Jackson answered everything that came his way and when the sea parted for a second, I revisited his shot. Kansas coach Bill Self had said a few weeks ago that the last thing Jackson needs is to have myriad voices telling him how to change his shot and that one person and one alone would work with Jackson on it.
Jackson shared the primary adjustments instructed by assistant coach Kurtis Townsend.
“Getting the ball a little higher above my head when I shoot,” Jackson said. “I used to have it kind of in front of my face.”
Anything else?
“Spreading my fingers a little bit more around the ball to have more ball control,” he added.
The tendency is for mechanical adjustments to feel unnatural initially, which leads to reverting to previous form in the heat of competition.
“It’s feeling pretty natural at the moment,” Jackson said. “I’m shooting a lot better.”
He’ll trust his shot doctor and continue applying the pointers. Jackson slams complacency as if it’s a basketball.
