COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- After bursting onto the college basketball scene and becoming one of Maryland’s best all-around performers as a freshman last season, Justin Jackson found himself faced with a tough decision--whether or not to return to College Park for his sophomore year or pursue his dream of becoming a professional basketball player.
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But before basketball turned into a potential career for Jackson, it served a much greater purpose in his life.
“Surprisingly, I didn’t really think about the NBA until like my junior year of high school,” Jackson said at Maryland basketball media day Oct. 31. “I mean, basketball has always just been fun to me. I don’t know if many people know this, but I started playing basketball because I had anger issues as a child, and that was just a way for me to get my anger out and just have fun playing with my friends. So I didn’t really think about starting to make it a job or make it serious for me until about my junior year of high school.”
Prior anger issues are hard to believe for someone who seems so calm, cool and collected while on the court and who is generally quiet and nothing but polite when interacting with others off the court.
However, Jackson added that he has basketball to thank for his current demeanor, and although he does let his emotions show sometimes while competing, he now knows how to use them in the right way.
“I get a little emotional sometimes and Coach [Mark] Turgeon has to tell me to calm down,” Jackson said. “But at the end of the day, he knows it’s all good emotion that is channeled into the right things. Basketball has really helped me calm down and I just save all my anger and just let it out on the court. I’ve done a lot of work and I’ve done a lot of things to help calm down my anger, so the anger issues aren’t really a problem anymore. That was more of a childhood thing. But basketball is really like a lifesaver to me. It helped me get through a lot of trials and tribulations. So I’m here now and I thank God for it.”
It was music to Terps fans’ ears when Jackson ultimately decided to withdraw his name from the NBA Draft and come back to College Park. It was not a decision that Jackson and his family made lightly, but it was one that he is happy with.
“As a boy, everyone’s dream is to make the NBA, so when you see that dream in front of you there are obviously voices in your head that are telling you to go chase that dream, but at the end of the day it’s not just about getting there, it’s about staying there, so I felt like it was the best decision for me to come back to College Park and work on my game and try to perfect my craft,” Jackson said.
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Jackson said many factors went into his decision and he spent a lot of thought and prayer on coming to his final conclusion. But he was sure to consult those who would be directly impacted by his choice, including his parents, coaches and teammates.
“I spoke to a lot of people that would be affected by the decision,” Jackson said. “And it was after my last pre-draft workout with the [Toronto] Raptors when I went home because I was already in Toronto. I just went back and spoke to my family, spoke to a few friends--not many, but coaches and things like that. Just getting opinions from everybody else before my family and I made the right decision.
“I spoke to [my teammates] a lot, but the guys did a great job of not putting any pressure on me. At the end of the day, everybody spoke their piece, everybody helped me because I asked them what they felt because I felt like guys on my team are guys that will be affected. I asked them what they thought and guys really helped me and guys really talked to me and gave me their true opinions.”
The Toronto native also reached out to a close friend and fellow Canadian who has been in a similar situation when seeking advice about staying in school or going pro.
Former No. 1 overall NBA Draft pick Anthony Bennett and Jackson go way back. Besides both being from Ontario, Jackson and Bennett have a high school and college connection. Bennett played college ball at UNLV, where Jackson was committed before ultimately signing with Maryland late in his recruitment. In high school, although not simultaneously, both Bennett and Jackson played at national powerhouse Findlay Prep.
The two Canadian ballers have built a close bond over the years and Jackson even said Bennett is “kind of like my big brother.”
“We talk a lot,” Jackson said. “I actually got some feedback from [Bennett]. He told me to just make the decision that’s best for [me]. That’s what everyone else says, too--just make the decision that’s best for [me] because at the end of the day [I] have to make the decision; it’s not them. Everybody has their own personal benefits, but at the end of the day you want to do something that benefits yourself.”
Now that Jackson has made what he feels is the right decision, it’s time for him to focus on building off his momentum from a stellar freshman year and turning it into an even better second college season. In turn, Jackson hopes to only improve his NBA Draft stock and work on some of the feedback he heard from scouts throughout the evaluation process.
“The common theme I heard really was consistency,” Jackson said. “You just have to be consistent. I’m pretty sure you already know that some of us hit a wall throughout the season, so just being consistent. You don’t have to score 50 points every game, but as long as you’re consistent with effort and always give 100 percent every time you step on the court, the people notice that. It’s hard not to notice that.
“There’s not a day that goes by where I don’t think about my weaknesses and what I can do to better myself and also what I can do to help the team and impact the team. This summer was a very good summer for me in terms of helping me uplift my game, so at the end of the day, it really helped.”
Not only is Jackson aiming to improve his consistency and aggressiveness as a player, he’s also looking to use returning to school as an opportunity to step up as a leader for the Terps this season.
“That’s one of the things that I’m going to personally challenge myself to do throughout this whole season--being a leader--because now I am a returning guy,” Jackson said. “I know what to expect; I know the grind and the length of the season. So I’m just trying to be a leader and trying to be vocal and little things like that.”
At the end of this season, Jackson will likely be faced with the same decision he had to make last spring, except this time there’s a good chance his draft prospects will be even stronger.
But even Jackson does eventually decided to depart from Maryland, College Park and the Terps are always going to be part of his life.
“I was definitely excited to come back,” Jackson said. “And even if I had gone, I love [College Park] and you’d probably see me back here a few times. I love this place. Maryland is one of the best places I’ve ever been.”
