Action Jackson
Why UConn needs sophomore to trust his athletic ability
STORRS — Andre Jackson threw down an emphatic windmill dunk and it was fun, as always, because no one else in the gym can do the Rudy Gayand Stanley Robinson-type stuff that Jackson can when alone with only a basket in front of him.
Jackson also made a couple of 3-pointers, one contested and the other in rhythm from the corner to basically seal his team’s victory in UConn’s splitsquad scrimmage Monday night at Gampel Pavilion, important moments because the narrative has long been the following.
Jackson sure can dunk. Jackson sure is athletic. Jackson sure better make enough jump shots to prove worth keeping in the lineup for long stretches.
The Jackson project, so important to UConn’s depth and flexibility in 2021-22, isn’t really about developing a weakness, though. Of course, Jackson has to be able to shoot well enough to keep opposing defenses honest. But the season, one UConn believes Jackson can impact greatly, isn’t about turning a player into something he’s not.
It is about accentuating and refining who he is and what he does best. Jackson isn’t Brian Fair or Rashad Anderson. He won’t be and doesn’t need to be. He could, however, become one of the more unique talents in recent program history, should he channel his skills and refine his approach.
“You see the athletic ability and just his size and that speed,” coach Dan Hurley said after Monday’s scrimmage, calling Jackson’s performance a template for the way he needs to approach the game. “He’s a rare athlete. It’s about identity. It’s about sticking to that identity that he brought to the court and not, tomorrow, having a different identity.
“He can be an incredibly disruptive defender, one of the best perimeter guys in the country, potentially. His rebounding. His ability to get downhill. His passing ability. And his shot looks better. … It’s not even so much about his shooting right now. It’s about identity, with those other things. Play to those things as your strength as opposed to trying to convince people that you can shoot. Because he shoots well enough. It’s identity. I talk about that a lot.”
Jackson slashed and crashed his way around the court Monday, finishing with a team-high 16 points.
At no point did he appear to be trying to be something he’s not. His shots came in the flow of the game. His dunk came off a steal. He was active with and without the ball, strong physically and directionally in that he made the right decisions and he moved the way he should, when he should.
“I think it’s really about trying to get him to stick to the script a little bit so he can really impact the game nightly, getting on the offensive glass, getting out in transition, driving the ball hard both in full court and half court,” assistant coach Luke Murray said. “And then just making simple plays. We’ve just tried to simplify his approach a little bit.
“He was really aggressive (Monday), offensively, which was nice to see, because sometimes — it may be a product of how teams scout him, or the noise about his jump shot — he maybe tries to do too many other things in the game as opposed to just being aggressive with an attacking mentality.”
Jackson averaged 16.1 minutes, 2.7 points and 2.9 rebounds last season as a freshman. He shot 41 percent from the field, going 2-for-17 on 3-pointers and 9-for-10 on free throws.
“He makes shots,” Hurley said. “It’s not even an issue. To get to where he wants to get, it’s not an issue. It’s just, be a focused defender with that athletic ability. You get a defensive rebound, take it like a gazelle. Ball gets reversed to you in the backcourt, get downhill with it and try to drive it. You have a chance to post to small guard, use your athletic ability to get to the paint. Every time a shot goes up, crash the offense glass. That’s what it is. He hears, too, since he started playing as a prospect, everyone said to him ‘You can do this, this and this, but what about shooting?’ That’s not even it. Play to your identity.”
Hurley started counting, “Six … seven,” making note of how many times he repeated “identity” in discussing Jackson, who is 6-foot-6 and 205 pounds. That’s what Hurley has been hammering home to Jackson, who has such physical gifts that there’s never reason to get cute with an approach. If he is smart, disciplined, aggressive and timely, his speed, strength and length will lead to production.
Hurley likened Jackson to Philadelphia 76ers guard Matisse Thybulle, who was drafted 20th overall after averaging 9.1 points, 3.5 steals, 2.3 blocks, 2.1 assists as a senior at Washington in 2018-19. Thybulle, twice the Pac-12 defensive player of the year, was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team last season, when he averaged 3.9 points.
Jackson can be disruptive in similar ways, able to guard four positions, keep up with anyone in transition, jump higher than anyone on the court. Hurley calls him one of the hardest-working players he’s ever coached. Jackson has been in the gym as much as any UConn player throughout the offseason, working on his shot — and so much more.
When asked who impressed him Monday, Hurley mentioned Jackson first. Hurley did not permit Jackson to speak with the media after the scrimmage, according to a UConn spokesman. Adama Sanogo and R.J. Cole spoke about the event, which featured three 10-minute periods of live play.
“Andre is going to be a very nice talent for us,” Cole said. “He has that energy that we all need. That brings us up another level. His work ethic is unbelievable. … When Andre is able to get downhill and attack the defense, nobody can stop him. He’s too athletic and he has too much stuff around the rim where he can finish. Him being aggressive, that’s his main thing right there.”
Said Sanogo: “He can help this team a lot by playing defense. You see, he’s everywhere. So he can give us that 12, 10 points a game and some good defense. He brings a lot of energy. For us to be a good team this year, we need Andre.”
Sanogo added that it’s important for Jackson to convert more catch-and-shoot opportunities. And, yes, it is, particularly with James Bouknight in the NBA and more shots available. Murray said Jackson is shooting over 40 percent on 3-pointers in practice.
“He may only take one or two a practice,” Murray said. “But if they’re open ones and he’s feeling in rhythm, he’s feeling a lot more comfortable.”
That’s important. Nothing, though, is more important than Jackson being able to harness and refine the skills he already possesses. He is UConn’s second-leading rebounder in practice. His is third on the team in assists and leads the team in steals.
“Be focused on those three, four, five things he can really do,” Hurley said. “But because of the way his mind works, he kind of goes off script. He’s got to stay connected to this identity. Every time the ball gets thrown to him, try to drive it downhill and get to the rim. Don’t make up your mind before a play happens, where you want to go with the ball. He’s so athletic. Don’t gamble and take risks and get out of position. Play with great technique. Be in the right spots and then just explode, as opposed to over-running stuff, getting back-cut where we give up a 3 because you didn’t have the discipline to stay with it.”