LITTLE ROCK — Jacksonville guard/forward Jessica Jackson was quick to credit her father, Jeff, after making her oral commitment to play women’s basketball for Arkansas in late August.
Jackson, 6-2, is the most heralded recruit Coach Tom Collen has lured to Arkansas since being named the Razorbacks’ head coach in 2007. She’s rated as the nation’s No. 14 recruit by Dan Olson of Collegiate Girls Basketball Report.
After announcing her commitment to Arkansas, Jackson said her father has been a big influence on her life on and off the court.
“He took me in and raised me,” Jackson said. “Without him, I wouldn’t be anywhere because I don’t know anyone else that’s going to take the time and teach me fundamentals.”
Jeff Jackson said he saw Jessica’s potential as soon as she started playing basketball at the age of 11. But it was her work ethic, which she demonstrated one day while working on her left-handed shot under the basket, that impressed Jeff most.
“She had to make a 100 of them and she could miss but two shots out of that 100,” Jeff said. “I was jogging, and I asked her, ‘Why are you still shooting?’ And she said, ‘Dad, I got to 88 and I started over.’ That right there let me know the work ethic was in her. Most kids probably would’ve cheated.”
The individual attention she has received from her father, Jessica said, is more than she could expect to receive from her team coaches.
“They don’t have time to teach you individually,” Jessica said. “They expect you to know. No one take out the time like he did.”
Jessica said she disagrees with those people who thought her father pushed her too hard.
“A lot of people did, but they were on the outside looking in,” she said. “I didn’t think he was hard on me at all. He did what it took to get me where I’m at.”
That doesn’t mean dad and daughter have always had a harmonious relationship.
“We bumped heads a lot of times, and it wasn’t easy,” Jeff said. “But she never came to me and said, ‘Dad, I don’t want to play anymore.’ She kept playing.”
Jeff said he used one coach’s criticism of Jessica during her first year of play as a motivational tool.
Jeff overheard him saying Jessica wouldn’t become much of a player.
“From that point on, I told her if she wanted to play the game that it would require hard work,” he said.
Jessica took her father’s teaching to heart.
“Anytime when somebody would tell her anything she would always say, ‘My dad told me to do it like this,’ ” Jeff said. “But she wouldn’t disrespect the coach or nothing.”
BELL RINGING
Navarro (Texas) College Coach Brian Mayper said Arkansas is getting an athletic offense lineman in Mitchell Bell, who orally committed to the Hogs last week.
Bell, 6-4, 315 pounds, 5.1 seconds in the 40-yard dash, has played every position on the line and started at tackle for two games in place for the injured Zach Fondal, who also has an offer from Arkansas.
“Mitchell is a super competitor,” Mayper said. “He’s really an utility guy across the offensive line. He played guard for us most of the spring, he’s played some center also. He’s a guy that knows the entire offensive line and knows what everybody is doing. We can really plug him in where we need to.”
Mayper said Bell had an excellent game against several highly touted defensive linemen, including Ben Bradley, a Tennessee commitment and Rob Zimmerman, a Texas A&M commitment, in a 54-34 victory over Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College on Sept. 1.
“He didn’t have any problems at all, and those guys were supposed to be really good,” Mayper said. “He has super feet.”
E-mail Richard Davenport at
Sports, Pages 27 on 09/23/2012