Alan Siegel
On College Basketball
CHESTNUT HILL — Reggie Jackson's first Boston College hockey game was a memorable one. The 2007-08 national championship banner was raised to the Conte Forum rafters. The Eagles played rival Notre Dame, which he said, "Felt like UNC-Duke."
The freshman has loved the sport since playing childhood pick-up games on his street in North Dakota.
"The gracefulness of it," gets him excited, he said. "To see someone move like that on skates, stopping on a dime. It's like making a football cut."
Jackson, an 18-year-old African-American male, may seem like an unlikely hockey fan. But the basketball point guard takes pride in having an open mind.
"I don't like to keep myself in a little box," he said.
Jackson's outlook was shaped early on. The son of an Air Force officer, he's lived in Italy (where he was born), England, North Dakota, Georgia and Florida. He attended high school in Colorado, where he's lived since he was in the sixth grade.
The "box" comment is also fitting for another reason. After all, he's still learning coach Al Skinner's flex offense, a box-like setup he wasn't initially fond of.
"There was just something about the offense," said Jackson, the 2008 Colorado Gatorade Player of the Year. "It seemed so dull, but it seemed to get the job done."
He admits that there were a few "What am I getting into?" moments, but he's adjusting.
"It lulls the defense to sleep," said Jackson, who last season at Palmer High in Colorado Springs, averaged 29.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game. "It's a bunch of motion. It's becoming fun."
Jackson, like many BC rookies before him, was not a McDonald's All-American. He got offers from Nevada and Texas A&M, but was not a phenom recruit. Ranked No. 94 on last year's ESPNU Top 100 and No. 115 on Rivals.com, he wasn't raved about on a national level.
But neither were Michael Adams, John Bagley, Dana Barros, Howard Eisley, Craig Smith and Jared Dudley. All of those BC standouts went on to the NBA. Senior Tyrese Rice, the Eagles All-Atlantic Coast Conference guard, likely will too.
It's a brass ring worth reaching for. But it's early. Jackson knows this. Still, reading a recent article about Dudley, a first-round pick (No. 22) by the Charlotte Bobcats in 2007, pumped him up.
"He just came here as basically a nobody, but he made a legacy," the 6-3 Jackson said. "It was pretty crazy that he could do that in four years."
So far, he said, college life has been great. Jackson's penchant for neatness hasn't caused any friction between him and roommates Dallas Elmore and Evan Ravenel, fellow freshmen on the basketball team.
His father Saul (who's now retired) and mother Sharon always helped him stay organized. Jackson, who often punctuates his sentences with "yes sir", isn't easily overwhelmed. It's a trait many kids whose parents are in the armed forces soak up. Jackson says he can tell pretty quickly if someone he meets grew up in a military family.
"Just how they interact with everybody," he said. "How open-minded they are."
The military life, however, was not for him.
"No," he said. "Definitely not."
Still, living all over the country — all over the world really — has made him stronger.
"I adjust well," he said. "It really doesn't bother me."
This season is just another challenge for Jackson. Although expectations are low — BC was ranked No. 11 out of 12 in the ACC's preseason poll — the Eagles have defied expectations before. A trip to the NCAA Tournament in March would be an impressive accomplishment.
They do have Rice on their side. He averaged 21.0 points per game last season and on March 1, dropped 46 points on North Carolina in a 90-80 Eagles loss.
Saturday's season-opening victory over Central Connecticut wasn't exactly what Eagles fans were looking for. Rice was suspended for a "violation of team rules." He'll reportedly be back tonight against Loyola (Md.), and if BC wants to make a run, he must be a consistent force again.
Jackson hopes to bounce back from a rough debut in the opener: 3 points (1-for-7 shooting) and 3 rebounds in 19 minutes. He's been enjoying the city so far and hopes to check out a Bruins game when he can. Aside from the impending cold weather, Jackson is excited about his time at BC.
"I love this place," he said.
Soon it may love him back.
E-mail Alan Siegel at ASiegel@eagletribune.com.
