Big East: Notre Dame's Jackson a step ahead

As Notre Dame’s starting point guard, Tory Jackson controls the Fighting Irish’s offensive attack with the instincts of someone who’s thinking a step or two ahead of the action. It’s a fitting approach for the accomplished chess player.

“I started in 4th grade,’’ Jackson said. “We had a chess club. We used to do it at lunch-time. I used to give up my lunch so I could enjoy something I love. There was something about chess that kept me calm. You had to be smart about every move you make.

“That’s the way I am in basketball,’’ he added. “You want to make the right moves and the right passes.’’

Jackson has proved to be the Bobby Fisher of the backcourt. While Notre Dame boasts Big East Player of the Year favorite Luke Harangody and hot-shooting guard Kyle McAlarney, it’s Jackson who is the driving force behind a Notre Dame offense that leads the Big East at 81.6 points per game. Jackson’s 6.0 assists per game ranks second in the Big East.

And don’t be fooled by Jackson’s 5-foot-11, 193-pound frame. This is no pawn we’re talking about. Jackson pulls down 5.1 rebounds per game.

“I’m more of a rook,’’ he said when asked to relate his basketball game to the chess board. “The rook moves side to side and up and down; it just doesn’t go diagonal. You can interchange it with the king; it’s probably one of the most important pieces. It’s how I like to get check-mates; put it in a corner and trap people.’’

As the two-time Class C Player of the Year in the state of Michigan, Jackson attracted a lot of attention from college recruiters. Florida, Oklahoma, Southern California, Michigan and Michigan State all offered him basketball scholarships. But it wasn’t until he took a trip to South Bend, Ind., that he felt at home.

“It was more of a family thing here,’’ Jackson said recently. “I needed that. I especially needed that.’’

Jackson wanted that family feeling after being raised in a family of 14 children. He is the 13th of James and Sarah Jackson’s 14 children. He has three older sisters, nine older brothers and one younger brother. And when prompted, Jackson rattled off their names from youngest to oldest with ease, slowing down only to help with spelling.

“Devante, me, Tory, Kory, Randy, Bryan with a y, Kim, Ivan, Mike, Paulette, Lynnette with two n’s, Anthony, Shawn, Vincent and John,’’ Jackson said finishing off the list with his 40-year-old oldest brother.

“My sisters did a lot of housework,’’ Jackson said of the family dynamic. “My brothers did all the outside work. Everybody did their part to make it work.’’

James and Sarah Jackson raised their children in a tough section of Saginaw, Mich. James worked at the local General Motors plant for over 30 years before retiring.

“My dad was quiet, but he was the backbone of the family,’’ Jackson said. “If we needed something, we always had it because of how hard he worked.’’

Sarah was a substitute teacher who was also very active in church.

“She’s a great lady,’’ Jackson said of his mother. “She was always on us, getting our priorities straight. God first, then family and then everything else like school and sports after that.’’

Sports didn’t exactly run throughout the family. Jackson’s sister, Lynnette, played at Central State; while Sean played basketball for a short time at Western Michigan.

Tory, however, gained acclaim on the basketball court, first as a member of the Michigan Hurricanes AAU team and then at Buena Vista High School in Saginaw.

With the Hurricanes, Jackson played with Syracuse junior Eric Devendorf, former DePaul star Wilson Chandler and current DePaul guard Dar Tucker among other future college players.

“A lot of us still get together in the summer to work out,’’ Jackson said.

He finished his career at Buena Vista High with 2,518 career points; the third-highest total in Michigan history. As a senior, he averaged 30.5 points per game and led Buena Vista to the Class C state title.

Still, Jackson wasn’t expected to make an immediate impact at Notre Dame. He started the 2006-07 season as a backup to McAlarney.

But 10 games into the season, McAlarney was suspended for marijuana possession. Right as the Fighting Irish were about to begin Big East Conference play, Jackson was thrust into the starting lineup.

“It happened so quick,’’ Jackson said. “One day he was playing and the next day, I was starting.’’

Jackson proved up to the challenge. He started the last 20 games of the season. In Big East games, he led the conference in assists at 6.0 per game. At the end of the season, he was named to the Big East’s all-rookie squad.

This year, Jackson and McAlarney are together in Notre Dame’s backcourt.

“You don’t wish nothing bad on nobody, but it was kind of a blessing in disguise,’’ Jackson said. “Now we’re starting in the backcourt together. Even when he wasn’t here, he was always telling me do this and do that. I listened to him. Now that he’s here, it makes me 10 times better.’’

Jackson said he doesn’t have as much time for chess during the season. He still plays with a cousin when he’s back home, but for now the check-mates take place on the hardwood.

Rising Team

Louisville – Is there any team in the country hotter than Rick Pitino’s Cardinals? Louisville has won nine straight games and stands tied with Georgetown atop the Big East standings. The Cardinals haven’t lost since a Jan. 28 game at Connecticut. And the Cards lost that one by two points. Louisville can win the conference regular season title outright with a win at Georgetown this Saturday.

Falling Team

Syracuse – The Orange has lost five of their last six games, but none compare to Saturday’s gut-wrenching loss to Pittsburgh. Syracuse, in desperate need of a win to boost its sagging NCAA Tournament hopes, held an 11-point lead with 3:30 remaining. At home. Pitt out-scored the Orange 18-to-2 over the game’s final three and a half minutes. A steal and a layup with 9 seconds remaining gave the Panthers a 78-77 lead and they went on to win 82-77.

Player of the Week

We’re going rename this the Notre Dame player of the week award since Kyle McAlarney and Luke Harangody seem to be volleying this thing back and forth to each other. This week it was Harangody’s turn.

Harangody scored a career-high 40 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in Notre Dame’s 90-85 loss to Louisville last Thursday. The sophomore center was 16-for-28 from the field. He even hit three 3-pointers.

In Notre Dame’s 98-91 win over DePaul on Sunday, Harangody scored 24 points – the 16th time this season he’s gone over the 20-point mark – and hauled in nine boards.

Freshman of the Week

South Florida’s Dominique Jones had a huge week for the Bulls. First, he scored 31 points in USF’s 79-75 loss to Seton Hall. Jones came back with 17 points to help South Florida defeat Rutgers, 54-52, on Saturday. Jones hit the game-winner to give South Florida its first Big East road win after three years in the conference.

Stats of the Week

Syracuse shot 58.8 percent from the field – and lost to Pitt, 82-77, on Saturday.

Marquette led Georgetown by 10 points at halftime on Saturday. The Golden Eagles made just 25.9 percent of their shots in the second half and lost in overtime.

Louisville’s David Padgett is making 68.1 percent of his field goal attempts in Big East games. The conference record for field goal percentage is .676, set by Villanova’s Michael Bradley in the 2000-01 season.

Georgetown is 5-0 in games decided by five points or fewer.

Did You See?

Providence’s Geoff McDermott, a 6-foot-7, 230-pound forward, started at point guard for the injury-depleted Friars in their game against Cincinnati on Sunday. McDermott recorded 13 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists while playing 43 minutes in Providence’s overtime win.

Villanova freshman Corey Stokes scored in double-figures just once in the season’s first 22 games. He’s averaging 13.8 points in Villanova’s last five games.

Georgetown, Louisville, Connecticut and Notre Dame have all clinched first-round byes in next week’s Big East Tournament.

They Said It

“I’ll make a statement and then I’ll be leaving.’’ — Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim after his Orange coughed up an 11-point lead in the final 3 minutes and 30 seconds against Pittsburgh at the Carrier Dome on Saturday. Boeheim picked up a technical foul with 1.5 seconds left as he argued with the officials longer than he spoke to the media. His post-game press conference lasted a minute and a half.

Key Upcoming Games

Wednesday, March 5
Syracuse at Seton Hall
Syracuse could still be reeling after it choked away a sure win over Pittsburgh on Saturday. Seton Hall can’t be feeling too good after squandering a 9-point lead in the last six minutes against St. John’s. The two are tied at 7-9 and both could use a self-confidence booster.

Thursday, March 6
DePaul at Cincinnati
DePaul is in a three-way tie with Providence and St. John’s for the 12th and final spot in the Big East Tournament. This one’s big for DePaul, which finishes the regular season at Pitt on Sunday. Also playing this night, Providence is hosting Connecticut.

Saturday, March 8
Louisville at Georgetown
The winner claims the Big East’s regular season title outright along with the No. 1 seed in next week’s Big East Tournament. Louisville won the first meeting, 59-51, at Freedom Hall on Feb. 9. Can the Hoyas’ exact revenge in the return game in D.C.?

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