MBB : Jackson continues to prep for NBA Draft
It’s as if Rick Jackson’s college basketball career had never ended. More than a month has passed since he played his final game for Syracuse, but really, not much has changed.
Inside the Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center, he can still see his photograph hanging next to the teammates he shared the court with this past season. They still hang out together in his down time. He is still a student and treats SU’s practice facility much like a second home.
But this is unlike any other time during Jackson’s four years at Syracuse. As he spends his final weeks on campus, the 6-foot-9 Jackson is also in the unique position of prepping for opportunities to showcase his basketball skills in front of a hoard of NBA executives in the coming months.
He admits it hasn’t all sunk in.
‘It hasn’t hit me yet,’ Jackson said on April 13. ‘But once I’m somewhere else and there’s no more Syracuse, and they take my face down and things like that, then I think it might hit me.’
On the inside, Jackson is fully aware that the next two months will be a whirlwind as he finishes up his degree requirements and begins auditioning in late May and June for a chance to join former teammates Donte Greene, Jonny Flynn, Wes Johnson and Andy Rautins in the NBA.
Unlike most NBA Draft hopefuls, most of whom have turned their sole attention to basketball, Jackson is still on campus taking advantage of the facilities available to him.
It’s a road less traveled on, but one Rautins also took as an SU senior last year. Rautins worked out for nearly a dozen teams before he was taken with the 38th selection in the draft.
Jackson said he has talked to a lot of former teammates now playing professionally, including Rautins, who advised him to be in tip-top shape for workouts.
‘Andy tried out for 10 or 12 teams,” said Jackson, who is represented by former Chicago Bulls guard-turned-agent B.J. Armstrong. ‘I’m in the same situation. I’m going to try out for 10 or 12 teams. He said take care of your body. Try to be in the best shape that you can. Whoever’s in the best shape and who’s busting their tail the hardest is usually the one that gets picked up.”
Like Rautins, Jackson has a quality that should make him attractive to league executives. Rautins was widely considered to be one of the top shooting prospects a year ago, and Jackson was a dominant rebounder in college. He was among the top in the country on the boards, averaging 10.3 per game to go along with his 13.1 points per game.
Jackson showed that again at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, a four-day event for the top seniors in the country that began April 6 in Portsmouth, Va. Jackson averaged 14 points and eight rebounds per contest at the tournament.
Before he went to Portsmouth, Jackson said Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim urged him to simply play his game. A lot of players can score, he said, but not many can rebound like Jackson.
The NBA has multiple players who have carved out a niche as a rebounder and shot blocker and high-energy guy, and Jackson is just simply trying to fill that role.
‘Every team always wants a rebounder,’ Syracuse assistant coach Bernie Fine said. ‘And he has rebounded well all year, and he also rebounded very, very well at Portsmouth. If you can rebound the basketball, there’s always a place for you.
‘Just like if you’re a great shooter there’s always a place for you, if you’re a great rebounder there’s also place for you.’
Jackson said he spoke with some scouts at Portsmouth, who all said similar things. He said they envision him in that type of role at the next level.
Until graduation, Jackson plans to utilize the Carmelo Center as much as possible. He said he hopes to continue to add to his game and further improve upon his strengths before he begins team workouts.
Though his career at Syracuse may be over, Jackson is trying to make the most of his final moments on campus while in the process of bridging a gap to another one.
And while the next two months are critical, he’s trying to make sure he enjoys the ride.
‘Being a player, you always think that you can play at that level,’ Jackson said. ‘But just having a shot to be in that league and having a chance to get drafted is something special, and I’m trying to enjoy it right now.’
