No. 1 SBU wins first round game over No. 8 Pitt. State, ends Eddie Jackson’s career
Conor Nicholl
KANSAS CITY, Mo.—Eddie Jackson sat in an unfamiliar place.
Jackson, the senior first team all-MIAA guard for Pittsburg State University, wasn’t playing with less than five minutes to go in the Gorillas’ first round contest against Southwest Baptist University.
He had a blank look on his face as leaned back in his chair, arms and hands rested on the chairs beside him, a blank look on his face.
Jackson, the conference’s leading scorer at 21.6 points/game, was 5-for-23 from the field, 0-10 from behind the arc and scored only 12 points when head coach Gene Iba took him out of the game.
He reentered with 3:07 left, but finally left the contest with 1:16 remaining and SBU ahead 66-52.
The fans stood and cheered as Jackson walked to the bench, but he barely acknowledged the crowd, keeping his head down.
Afterward, Jackson said little during the postgame news conference.
“It just came down to me not making shots,” he said. “The team got me the ball when I needed it, but I just didn’t make shots.”
Pitt. St. runs a similar offense to Duke. They don’t run set plays. Duke tries to get the ball and set single, double and triple screens for J.J. Redick. Pitt. St. does the same thing with Jackson – and they didn’t deviate from the plan today.
Jackson killed SBU in their two regular season meetings, scoring 32 and 25 points.
This time, though, SBU consistently had players in Jackson’s face, forcing up plenty of poor shots.
“We threw three or four different players at him,” said SBU guard and MIAA MVP Sheldon Pace. “You have to do that to great players. We just wanted to make him take tough shots and hopefully try and wear him down.”
Jackson began the night two-for-two, but then missed 11 of his next 13 shots, finishing the first half with 10 points.
“No question, Eddie missed some shots that were open,” head coach Gene Iba said. “But, it’s pretty tough to shoot when you have a [a six-foot-11-inch] guy and a [7-foot-two-inch] guy in your face and a guard coming up behind you.
Jackson started getting frustrated in the second half. Behind forward Edward Morris, Pitt. St., the No. 8 seed in the tournament, led 37-35 at the first media timeout of the second half. Jackson, though, had missed three more shots.
Pitt. St. was finding rhythm and open shots from other players, but Jackson didn’t stop shooting after the timeout.
At the 13:45 mark, Jackson was guarded by two players but hoisted a three from well beyond NBA range, air balling the shot.
When I asked about Jackson’s shot selection afterward, Iba stayed calm but spoke forcibly.
“Did you see the first two games against SBU?” he said, looking right at me.
I said, “No.”
“Did you know how many points he scored?”
I said, “32 and 25.”
Iba stayed calm and explained why Jackson took 35-footers.
“He took those same shots in those games and made them,” he said. “Eddie is the best bad shot player I have ever coached. We try to get him in the flow taking 15 footers and then he can shoot from anywhere.
“He missed those [threes] in our [regular season] last game and missed them tonight. If you can tell me what the difference is between today and those other games, then I need a new guy on my coaching staff.”
Jackson scored only two points the rest of the day. Pitt. St. couldn’t keep pace with Southwest, as the Bearcats finished the game on a 30-15 run, winning 67-52 and ending the Jackson’s – one of the most electrifying players over the last two years – career.
First Game Notes
SBU 7-2 center Frans Steyn was the best player from the first game, scoring 21 points and dominating the post.
Colt Blair, the MIAA Freshman of the Year, was very impressive for the Bearcats, scoring seven points, including a key three-pointer that gave SBU a 59-49 lead in the second half. Head coach Jeff Guiot called Blair’s trey one of the top three plays of the day.
Morris, who had 30 versus the Bulldogs earlier this year, played very well for the Gorillas, keeping PSU in the game with his rebounding and scoring. He also had his own highlight reel, bringing down the house on three dunks.
Halftime
The MIAA provided plenty of entertainment during the halftime of the second game, as six mascots played three-on-three full court basket. Pittsburg State’s Gorillas, Missouri Western’s Griffon and Northwest’s Bearcat teamed up against Emporia’s Hornet, Southwest’s Lion and Truman’s own Spike the Bulldog.
Spike couldn’t provide much offense, as he was wearing slippers instead of shoes.
The mascots provided multiple highlights during the 4-3 game won by Pitt. State’s team.
Early in the contest, Mo. West had a wide-open layup, but Pitt. St.’s Gorilla pushed him
ESU’s Hornet hit a three and did a snow angel on the floor and Gus Gorilla earned MVM (Most Valuable Mascot) honors for his terrific defense.
KANSAS CITY, Mo.—Eddie Jackson sat in an unfamiliar place.
Jackson, the senior first team all-MIAA guard for Pittsburg State University, wasn’t playing with less than five minutes to go in the Gorillas’ first round contest against Southwest Baptist University.
He had a blank look on his face as leaned back in his chair, arms and hands rested on the chairs beside him, a blank look on his face.
Jackson, the conference’s leading scorer at 21.6 points/game, was 5-for-23 from the field, 0-10 from behind the arc and scored only 12 points when head coach Gene Iba took him out of the game.
He reentered with 3:07 left, but finally left the contest with 1:16 remaining and SBU ahead 66-52.
The fans stood and cheered as Jackson walked to the bench, but he barely acknowledged the crowd, keeping his head down.
Afterward, Jackson said little during the postgame news conference.
“It just came down to me not making shots,” he said. “The team got me the ball when I needed it, but I just didn’t make shots.”
Pitt. St. runs a similar offense to Duke. They don’t run set plays. Duke tries to get the ball and set single, double and triple screens for J.J. Redick. Pitt. St. does the same thing with Jackson – and they didn’t deviate from the plan today.
Jackson killed SBU in their two regular season meetings, scoring 32 and 25 points.
This time, though, SBU consistently had players in Jackson’s face, forcing up plenty of poor shots.
“We threw three or four different players at him,” said SBU guard and MIAA MVP Sheldon Pace. “You have to do that to great players. We just wanted to make him take tough shots and hopefully try and wear him down.”
Jackson began the night two-for-two, but then missed 11 of his next 13 shots, finishing the first half with 10 points.
“No question, Eddie missed some shots that were open,” head coach Gene Iba said. “But, it’s pretty tough to shoot when you have a [a six-foot-11-inch] guy and a [7-foot-two-inch] guy in your face and a guard coming up behind you.
Jackson started getting frustrated in the second half. Behind forward Edward Morris, Pitt. St., the No. 8 seed in the tournament, led 37-35 at the first media timeout of the second half. Jackson, though, had missed three more shots.
Pitt. St. was finding rhythm and open shots from other players, but Jackson didn’t stop shooting after the timeout.
At the 13:45 mark, Jackson was guarded by two players but hoisted a three from well beyond NBA range, air balling the shot.
When I asked about Jackson’s shot selection afterward, Iba stayed calm but spoke forcibly.
“Did you see the first two games against SBU?” he said, looking right at me.
I said, “No.”
“Did you know how many points he scored?”
I said, “32 and 25.”
Iba stayed calm and explained why Jackson took 35-footers.
“He took those same shots in those games and made them,” he said. “Eddie is the best bad shot player I have ever coached. We try to get him in the flow taking 15 footers and then he can shoot from anywhere.
“He missed those [threes] in our [regular season] last game and missed them tonight. If you can tell me what the difference is between today and those other games, then I need a new guy on my coaching staff.”
Jackson scored only two points the rest of the day. Pitt. St. couldn’t keep pace with Southwest, as the Bearcats finished the game on a 30-15 run, winning 67-52 and ending the Jackson’s – one of the most electrifying players over the last two years – career.
First Game Notes
SBU 7-2 center Frans Steyn was the best player from the first game, scoring 21 points and dominating the post.
Colt Blair, the MIAA Freshman of the Year, was very impressive for the Bearcats, scoring seven points, including a key three-pointer that gave SBU a 59-49 lead in the second half. Head coach Jeff Guiot called Blair’s trey one of the top three plays of the day.
Morris, who had 30 versus the Bulldogs earlier this year, played very well for the Gorillas, keeping PSU in the game with his rebounding and scoring. He also had his own highlight reel, bringing down the house on three dunks.
Halftime
The MIAA provided plenty of entertainment during the halftime of the second game, as six mascots played three-on-three full court basket. Pittsburg State’s Gorillas, Missouri Western’s Griffon and Northwest’s Bearcat teamed up against Emporia’s Hornet, Southwest’s Lion and Truman’s own Spike the Bulldog.
Spike couldn’t provide much offense, as he was wearing slippers instead of shoes.
The mascots provided multiple highlights during the 4-3 game won by Pitt. State’s team.
Early in the contest, Mo. West had a wide-open layup, but Pitt. St.’s Gorilla pushed him
ESU’s Hornet hit a three and did a snow angel on the floor and Gus Gorilla earned MVM (Most Valuable Mascot) honors for his terrific defense.
posted by Anonymous at Friday, March 03, 2006
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