Thursday, January 31, 2013
Jackson arrives for Memphis
By Matt Giles
People were wondering a year ago if Joe Jackson, Memphis' astoundingly athletic but mercurial guard, was finished at the Conference USA program. Now a junior, Jackson is in the midst of his most efficient season under the tutelage of Josh Pastner; his offensive rating -- 117.5, per Ken Pomeroy -- is first on the squad of Tigers who use more than two-thirds of the team's available minutes, and his work with assistant Damon Stoudamire has greatly helped the 6-foot-1 Jackson. The guard is connecting on more than 50 percent of his threes as he has become more selective with his shot attempts and less prone to beating defenders only to immediately pull up for the jumper.
He has also been more diligent about finding his teammates in Memphis' offensive flow. Jackson is averaging 5.3 assists per 40 minutes in C-USA play, and Jason L. Smith of the Memphis Commercial-Appeal notes how well Jackson has recently played. It seems like Jackson will never solve his propensity for turnovers, but while he does give the ball away on 24 percent of his possessions, Jackson is still playing very much in control. He is even becoming one of Pastner's most dedicated defensive stoppers.
Smith reports Paster admonished Jackson for failing to secure several 50-50 balls in the first half of a recent win over East Carolina, and Jackson remedied his error by diving on the floor, securing the possession, and even mixing it up on the defensive glass all while also scoring 26 points.
