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Willie Jackson talks about his transfer from MU
Posted on: January 17, 2019 at 17:00:51 CT
FIJItiger MU
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https://www.cleveland.com/sports/2019/01/from-garfield-heights-to-toledo-jackson-jackson-find-right-fit-with-the-rockets.html
“People ask me all the time, what is my biggest surprise (on the team), it’s Willie Jackson,’’ Toledo head coach Tod Kowalczyk said recently. “A much better player than I thought, a better teammate than I ever thought, and I have never coached somebody as involved and committed to the community as he is. I love him to death. He’s tough, he’s unselfish. Also, he is not just good, he is an elite rebounder.”
For Willie Jackson, his route to UT was not as direct. While he was coveted by all the area Division I schools, when Missouri from the SEC called, he made the decision to go.
“I was big on taking that adventure,’’ Jackson said. “I wanted to see what it was like to be that far away from home. But when somebody close to you gets sick, you have no choice but to come home. It was tough, because I had made some key relationships already at Missouri. It was a long decision, I made sure this is what I wanted to do.’’
He was an immediate contributor at Missouri playing 19 minutes a game producing 5.9 points and 4.9 rebounds as a freman in 2016-17. Yet back, home his grandmother was sick, and being 650 miles away was too much to deal with. At mid-year, he decided to return back to the area.
“When you get on the phone with your grandmother, it’s like, I’m coming home,’’ Willie Jackson said. “It was never about basketball, even though we weren’t winning (at Missouri), I enjoyed Missouri.”
Missouri, at that time, was a struggling program. But Willie Jackson said the decision to get back to Ohio, despite what some might believe, was strictly family.
“I’m a big family guy,’’ Willie Jackson said. “Coming back was a life-changing decision, one of the best life decisions I ever made.’’
“People ask me all the time, what is my biggest surprise (on the team), it’s Willie Jackson,’’ Toledo head coach Tod Kowalczyk said recently. “A much better player than I thought, a better teammate than I ever thought, and I have never coached somebody as involved and committed to the community as he is. I love him to death. He’s tough, he’s unselfish. Also, he is not just good, he is an elite rebounder.”
For Willie Jackson, his route to UT was not as direct. While he was coveted by all the area Division I schools, when Missouri from the SEC called, he made the decision to go.
“I was big on taking that adventure,’’ Jackson said. “I wanted to see what it was like to be that far away from home. But when somebody close to you gets sick, you have no choice but to come home. It was tough, because I had made some key relationships already at Missouri. It was a long decision, I made sure this is what I wanted to do.’’
He was an immediate contributor at Missouri playing 19 minutes a game producing 5.9 points and 4.9 rebounds as a freman in 2016-17. Yet back, home his grandmother was sick, and being 650 miles away was too much to deal with. At mid-year, he decided to return back to the area.
“When you get on the phone with your grandmother, it’s like, I’m coming home,’’ Willie Jackson said. “It was never about basketball, even though we weren’t winning (at Missouri), I enjoyed Missouri.”
Missouri, at that time, was a struggling program. But Willie Jackson said the decision to get back to Ohio, despite what some might believe, was strictly family.
“I’m a big family guy,’’ Willie Jackson said. “Coming back was a life-changing decision, one of the best life decisions I ever made.’’
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Willie Jackson talks about his transfer from MU - FIJItiger MU - 1/17 17:00:51