Friday, February 8, 2008
Think you’re having a bad day? Darnell Jackson has had worse. Hurting because you lost a family member? Darnell Jackson has hurt worse. Having the time of your life? Yup, Darnell Jackson can top that, too.
The 6-foot-8 Oklahoma City native’s story is really a remarkable one; one that not many of us will ever be able to top. It’s a story of sorrow, sadness, emptiness and now triumph. His well-documented past, including the deaths of four family members and two close friends, has given Jackson a path to success that few others will be able to achieve.
Tragedy after tragedy continued to follow Jackson in recent years, and he thought more and more about quitting school and returning home to be with his family. He almost did, according to a recent article in Sports Illustrated magazine that I recommend you read. Not one of us would have questioned his decision, and we would have supported Jackson and wished him the best. Family comes first, and it would have been too much for almost any of us to take.
But not Jackson. He decided to do the opposite, turning a sub-par KU career into one that will probably ensure his selection in the upcoming NBA draft. He turned a 6.3 points and 4.9 rebounds average his sophomore year into a 12.9 points, 7.6 rebounds average this season. And it’s not a coincidence that Jackson’s improved play has coincided with the Jayhawks’ 22-1 record. The team’s scoring balance, probably the best in the nation, was accomplished in large part because of Jackson’s contributions on the offensive end.
Most teams can boast two low-post threats similar to Darrell Arthur and Sasha Kaun, but few can say they have three as the Jayhawks now can with the emergence of Jackson. Add in Brandon Rush, Mario Chalmers, Russell Robinson and Sherron Collins, and the Jayhawks have arguably the best top-seven in all of college basketball.
And Jackson, who didn’t start playing basketball until ninth grade, is one of the main reasons why. Though his numbers have gone up and he now hears his name announced during the starting lineup on a regular basis for the first time in his career, Jackson continues to play each second as a tribute to those he has lost and those who still support and love him.
After each made free throw, Jackson taps his heart three times with a closed right fist. One tap is for his Grandmother Evon, who died tragically from injuries she sustained after being hit by a drunk driver in May 2005. One tap is for his mother, Shawn, who was injured severely during that same car wreck and continues to be Jackson’s best friend and driving force in his turnaround. And one tap is for his friend and mentor Don Davis, who illegally paid him $5,000 in benefits, which forced Jackson to sit out nine games during the beginning of the 2005-2006 season with a NCAA-issued suspension.
Three simple taps to his chest, but a constant reminder of the past struggles he has overcome and the current success he is enjoying.
“Everything is coming true,” Jackson said. “I am having a great time. I am enjoying every minute of it.”
And for those who have followed Jackson’s career at Kansas and the troubled past that he has overcome, we, too, are enjoying every minute.
— Edited by Patrick De Oliveira
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