Joe Jackson: The Journey Of A D-Leaguer

Senior Year

While the Tigers did lose their second game of the season, to a top-10 team in Oklahoma State, Jackson’s team would rattle off six consecutive wins, one of which came in a rematch with then No. 5 Oklahoma State. The next loss for the Tigers was a slight, two-point defeat at the hands of a ranked Florida team. Florida would finish the year 36-3, and would make it all the way to the Final Four.

The Tigers would bounce back, winning their last two non-conference games by double figures, finishing their non-conference slate at 9-2. The momentum carried over as they recorded another win in blowout fashion to start conference play, one which brought Jackson the momentary spotlight of the SportsCenter Top 10.

It seemed as though the Tigers were poised for a nice run in the American Athletic Conference, but really, they were in for an up-and-down season.

The AAC was much stronger than Conference USA, which had been Memphis’ conference in the past years. With five ranked teams on the slate, the team went just 12-6, losing in the conference tournament to the eventual NCAA Champion Connecticut Huskies.

A two-time conference tournament MVP, Jackson struggled against the Huskies, posting just 10 points, five rebounds and two assists, although he did tie for the lead on the team in all three of those categories, in addition to field goal percentage in that game.

The team shot worse than 30 percent from the field and from three, while allowing UConn to shoot better than 50 percent in both categories. The final result was a 19-point loss, although the team had still done more than enough to earn an NCAA Tournament berth; they entered as the eighth seed in the East Region.

In the first tournament game against George Washington, Jackson posted a strong all around performance, with 15 points, six assists and five rebounds. Jackson closed out the game well, either scoring or assisting on the team’s last six baskets.

However, in the next round, the Tigers had to face a much greater challenge, in the No. 1 Virginia Cavaliers. The Cavaliers dominated multiple aspects of the game, and with two of Jackson’s teammates, Chris Crawford and Michael Dixon Jr. shooting just 3-of-15 from the field, the team never really had a chance.

The team hung tough, but Virginia still managed to take a 15-point lead into the half. After that, the margin never went below 13 points; for most of the second half, it was above 20.

Jackson finished his college career with numerous accolades, ranging from a conference player of the year selection, to a couple of appearances on the all-conference teams, but he still went undrafted in the 2014 NBA Draft.

However, as has often been the case in Jackson’s life, when met with adversity, he didn’t shy away; he got better.

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