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The Sports Xchange

OVERVIEW

Much like Chris Richard during Florida's march to two national championships, the blue-collar work ethic of Jackson at the power forward and center positions played a major role in the Jayhawks' drive to the 2007-08 national title. After starting just four of 85 games during his first three years at KU, he earned 35 starting assignments during his final campaign, doubling his scoring output from any previous season.

One of five returning seniors, Jackson helped the team capture its fourth consecutive Big 12 Conference regular-season title. A wide-body type working inside, he has a knack for finding the loose ball. He became a crowd favorite due to his hard work and being a gritty competitor. NBA scouts also noticed his ability as an impact player who runs and jumps very well for his size, feeling he can be an inside force at any of the front court positions.

At Midwest City High School, Jackson ranked as the 13th-best power forward and 52nd-best prospect overall in the nation by Rivals.com. In his only season at the school, he posted 18 points and 16 boards per game as a senior. He tallied a career-high 38 points, 16 rebounds and five blocked shots in one game that year.

As a junior, Jackson attended Northwest Classen High School. That season, he averaged 20 points and 12 rebounds per game. He was also a member of the school's Honor Roll. During the summers, he also attended the NBA and Nike camps.

As a true freshman at Kansas, Jackson appeared in 24 games, starting once. He averaged 2.0 points and 1.7 rebounds per game, logging 168 minutes of action. He shot 54.8 percent from the floor, as he totaled three assists, four steals and three blocked shots.

Jackson was limited to 23 games as a reserve forward in 2005-06. He was forced to sit out the team's first nine games, per NCAA compliance rules, due to accepting impermissible benefits from a Kansas donor. He managed to score 144 points (6.3 rpg) with 112 rebounds (4.9 rpg). He totaled eight assists with 13 steals and three blocked shots, as he made 50.5 percent of his field goals and 69.1 percent of his free throws.

As a junior, Jackson started three games, appearing in 38 contests. He amassed 209 points (5.5 rpg) with 39 assists and 16 steals. He blocked 21 shots and had 193 rebounds (5.1 rpg). He hit on 71-of-129 field goals (55.0 percent) and 67-of-102 free throws (65.7 percent).

Jackson earned All-Big 12 Conference third-team and NABC All-District XII second-team honors. He started 35 of 40 games, averaging a career-high 11.2 points per game. He pulled down 267 rebounds (6.7 rpg), handed out 43 assists and was credited with 31 steals. He blocked 19 shots, hitting 62.6 percent of his field goals and 69.1 percent of his free throws.

ANALYSIS

Positives: Shorter than advertised, but compensates with a good wingspan (83-inches), standing reach (8' 10.5") and decent leaping ability (31-inches) ... Blue-collar type with a very good work ethic, doing a nice job of setting teammates up on screens and will not hesitate to dive for loose balls ... Works hard in the paint to establish position (better in the box than on help defense) and knows how to use his frame to box his man out ... Shows very active hands going for steals in the passing lanes ... Demonstrates a good finishing touch and body control working through traffic around the basket ... Times his leaps well, as his second and third jump skills get him to a lot of his teammates' missed shots ... Has the natural hands and works well with his guards, knowing how to widen his body to get to the post entry and alley-oop passes ... Not really involved much in the offense, but has a very good conversion rate when he does touch the ball, boasting the fourth-best field goal percentage in school history (58.0 percent) ... Makes most of his scoring opportunities on dunks and put-backs, as he likes to play in the post ... Even with his back-to-the-basket skills, he is also comfortable facing it, as he might not have confidence shooting from three-point range, but can pull up and put in a soft pull-up jumper from mid range ... Adequate free throw shooter, but uses his body well to draw contact on the way to the rim ... Has good court speed for a power forward, showing good balance finishing in transition, using his length to put in a resounding dunk ... Seems to always be in the right spot to go up for put-backs around the basket.

Negatives: Good inside shooter and is developing a nice jumper from mid-range, but his perimeter shooting mechanics need development, as he tends to shot put or push the ball chin-high, failing to set his feet, as his release point is low, leading to a fair share of those attempts (66.7 percent) being blocked ... Struggles to handle the opponent coming off the dribble due to hip stiffness that makes him look sluggish trying to change direction ... Must do a better job of positioning himself to defend vs. pick-and-rolls ... For a player with his wingspan and reach, you would expect him to be more dominant as a shot blocker than he is ... Does not have great skills facing the basket and won't be able to convert coming off the dribble ... Marginal help defender whose offensive basketball IQ fails to translate on the defensive end ... Will bite on hesitation moves and fakes and lacks the lateral agility to stay in front of the perimeter shooter ... Also needs to be more alert to action in the paint, as he is so intent on going for the rebound, he fails to contain the inside shooter ... Lacks the size you look for in a power forward, but despite good court speed, his lack of lateral range makes him a liability covering wing players when operating at the three-position ... Good inside shooter, but lacks creativity and must use his body better getting space to make his shot.

Compares To: CHRIS RICHARD-Minnesota ... Much like Richard and Miami's Udonis Haslem, Jackson is a lunch-pail type who is good as part of a supporting cast, but has too many holes in his game to ever be a featured player. He gets most of his scoring on garbage baskets, but shows a consistent inside game and a developing jumper from mid range. He has a good feel for the offensive glass, but lacks the lateral agility to handle wing players when asked to defend on the perimeter. He bites on fakes and hesitation moves quite a bit, but does show decent hands for catch-and-shoot situations or passing the ball out to create scoring opportunities for others. At the end of the bench, a team could find that blue collar type that is always a welcome addition.

CAREER NOTES

Jackson started 39 of 125 games at Kansas, scoring 848 points (6.8 ppg), as he made 311-of-536 field goals ... His field goal percentage of .580 tied Alonzo Jamison (1990-92) for fourth on the school career record list, topped by Mark Randall (62.0 percent, 1987, 89-91), Richard Scott (59.6 percent, 1991-94) and Danny Manning (59.3 percent, 1985-88) ... Made 2-of-6 three-point attempts and shot 68.5 percent from the free throw line (224-of-327) ... Grabbed 612 rebounds (19th on the school career record list), an average of 4.9 per game ... Added 67 assists, 64 steals and 46 blocked shots ... Charged with 221 personal fouls, fouling out of two games, and had 125 turnovers.

2007-08 SEASON

All-Big 12 Conference third-team selection and chosen by the media to the league's All-Improved Team ... Added NABC All-District XII second-team honors...V Foundation Comeback Award Finalist (honoring the late Jim Valvano)...Phillips 66 co-Big 12 Player of the Week (1/07)...Played in 40 games, starting the last 35 contests ... Led the team with 267 rebounds (6.7 rpg) and free throw percentage (.626) ... Scored 447 points (11.2 ppg), as he made 171-of-273 field goals and 103-of-149 free throws (69.1 percent) ... Also hit on 2-of-6 three-point attempts ... Handed out 43 assists to go with 19 blocked shots and 31 steals ... Charged with 90 personal fouls, fouling out of two games, while he also had 51 turnovers ... Scored in double figures 26 times and had two double-double performances.

2007-08 GAME ANALYSIS

Went 10-for-10 from the free throw line to set a career-high in makes and tie a career-high in attempts, scoring 18 points with four boards at Colorado...His five assists vs. Nebraska were a career best, adding 13 points and eight rebounds...Set new career marks with nine made field goals and 14 field goal attempts for 21 points, adding two assists and 11 rebounds vs. Iowa State...Had a career-high 25 points, along with nine rebounds and a pair of steals at Boston College...Tallied a career-high 13 rebounds in 33 minutes played, as he also scored nine points at Southern California... Made his first career three-point attempt against Northern Arizona, finishing with 13 points and eight rebounds...Set a career-high in steals (four) and poured in 21 points with four steals and four rebounds vs. Louisiana-Monroe.

2006-07 SEASON

Started three of 38 games, producing 209 points (5.5 ppg) with 193 rebounds (5.1 rpg) ... Shot 55.0 percent from the floor (71-of-129) with a 65.7 percent clip from the foul line (67-of-102) ... Added 13 assists, 21 blocked shots and 16 steals ... Had 39 turnovers and 66 personal fouls.

2006-07 GAME ANALYSIS

Averaged 15.3 minutes per contest with three starts - vs. Northern Arizona in the season opener, Oral Roberts and Toledo...Recorded 10 double-figure scoring games and four double digit rebounding games...Posted his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds vs. Oral Roberts ... Added 13 points, 11 rebounds vs. Dartmouth and 13 points, 10 rebounds vs. Kansas State...Posted 11 rebounds in each of the Dartmouth and Colorado (2/14) contests...Came up big vs. Oklahoma State, going 5-for-5 from the field...Had six points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots in the overtime win vs. Texas in the Big 12 Conference Championship game... Averaged eight points and was 6-for-6 from the field in the last two games of the season vs. Southern Illinois and UCLA.

2005-06 SEASON

A top reserve who averaged 15.3 minutes and 6.3 points per game (144 total)...Third on the team with a 4.9 rebound average (112)...Scored in double figures nine times, including on eight occasions against Big 12 foes...Added eight assists, 13 steals and three blocked shots ... Charged with 26 turnovers and 42 personal fouls ... Missed the first nine games of the season, per NCAA compliance rules, due to accepting impermissible benefits from a Kansas donor.

2004-05 SEASON

Earned Kansas Athletic Director's and Big 12 Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll accolades ... Appeared in 24 games, scoring 48 points (2.0 rpg) ... Registered 40 rebounds (1.7 rpg) with three assists, three blocked shots and four steals ... Had 23 personal fouls and nine turnovers.

2004 CANADIAN EXHIBITION

Averaged 6.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and shot 57.9 percent (11-of-19) in four KU wins on its British Columbia, Canada, trip...Was 8-for-10 from the field with five rebounds in the 101-46 win vs. Langara College...Had six points in the finale against the Burnaby Mountain All-Stars.

INJURY REPORT

No injuries reported.

HIGH SCHOOL

As a senior, Jackson attended Midwest City (Oklahoma City, Okla.) High School, playing basketball for head coach Rodney Dinde...Ranked as the 13th-best power forward and 52nd-best prospect overall in the nation by Rivals.com ... In his only season at the school, he posted 18 points and 16 boards per game as a senior ... Tallied a career-high 38 points, 16 rebounds and five blocked shots in one game that year ... As a junior, Jackson attended Northwest Classen High School ... That season, he averaged 20 points and 12 rebounds per game ... Also a member of the school's Honor Roll ... During the summers, he attended the NBA and Nike camps.

PERSONAL

African-American Studies major ... Son of Shawn Jackson ... Born Darnell Edred Jackson on 11/07/85 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.