Shadowed by tragedy, Darnell Jackson helps send Kansas to Final Four
LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Tragedy keeps following Darnell Jackson.
It first found him in Oklahoma, taking his father, leading him to the crime scene of a classmate's murder.
It tracked him down at Kansas, snatching the lives of friends and relatives -- his beloved grandmother among them -- and maiming his mother.
Tragedy's pursuit has been relentless, flooring Jackson at nearly every turn, cramming a lifetime of heartache into 22 years. But each time, Jackson pulled himself up -- sometimes reluctantly -- pounding his chest in defiance.
"You have to keep getting up," he said. "It's the only way you can keep going."
Jackson was in the eighth grade when his absentee father was killed by Oklahoma City police after he attacked a jogger. During his senior year at high school, Jackson stumbled across the dead body of a classmate.
It didn't get better when he arrived in Lawrence. His close friend was killed by gang members, his paternal grandfather died and one of his uncles was beaten to death with a hammer.
Then came the crash.
It was May 29, 2005, and Jackson's mother and grandmother were heading back after taking younger brother Evan to see his father in Las Vegas. An 18-year-old drunken driver swerved into their lane, causing a head-on collision.
Jackson's mother, Shawn Jackson, was left with a mangled right arm and a crushed right ankle. Evon Jackson, the grandmother who calmed a scared or sad Darnell by resting his head on her stomach, died a week later from her injuries.
To honor those lost, Jackson tried to fend off the latest and harshest blow by thumping his chest with a fist after free throws. By the middle of his junior year, the toll had become too much.
With his mother still hobbled and struggling to support her two younger children because of insurance issues, a distraught Jackson packed his belongings and left Lawrence.
Kansas coach Bill Self and director of basketball operations Ronnie Chalmers immediately flew to Oklahoma. With the help of his mother, they persuaded Jackson to return.
There have been tough times since -- he cried at halftime against Boston College on Jan. 5 because his grandmother wasn't there -- but mostly the basketball court has become a sanctuary.
"Just having my teammates and family and friends helping me out has meant a great deal," Jackson said. "When I'm on the court, it's like a whole different world, when I'm not worrying about anything."
And when he's on the court, Kansas is a better team. The 6-foot-8 forward has always had a knack for rebounding, averaging 4.9 in limited playing time as a sophomore in 2005-06 and 5.1 last year. He leads the Jayhawks at 6.7 per game this year.
Now, Jackson has added some offense, too. Once an afterthought, Jackson has become a spark, a spring-legged ball of energy who infuses teammates with enthusiasm.
Always a spectacular dunker on alley-oops and putbacks, he's refined his post game -- thanks in large part to assistant coach Danny Manning -- and extended his range to near the 3-point line.
Heading into Saturday's Final Four game against North Carolina, Jackson was Kansas' fourth-leading scorer at 11.2 points -- nearly double his previous best -- shooting a team-best 62 percent from the field.
"He's playing really well and basketball has served as a great distraction from all those negative things," teammate Russell Robinson said. "He's been able to turn those into positives and that's translating into his game."
But tragedy is never far away.
In February, while playing some of his best basketball, Jackson learned his 19-year-old cousin, Kascey Corie McClellan, had died after being shot a week earlier at an Oklahoma City nightclub.
The news came the same day fellow senior Rodrick Stewart found out his cousin and adopted brother had been shot and killed while waiting at a traffic light in Seattle.
This time, Jackson met tragedy head-on, using it to form a tighter bond with his teammates, to become even closer to his family.
His resolve was evident during Senior Night on March 3. He thanked the fans, his coaches and teammates. Then he asked his mother to stand in front of more than 16,000 screaming spectators inside Allen Fieldhouse.
"It hurts so bad because I wish I could take some of your pain away and put it inside me. I love you," he told her, setting off a standing ovation.
Now, Jackson is two wins from a national championship. He's on pace to graduate this semester with a degree in African-American studies. Projected as a second-round NBA draft pick, he figures to be playing basketball somewhere at least for the next few years.
Yet there is the haunting question of whether tragedy will find Jackson again. One thing seems certain, though. He will be ready.
"I think it's remarkable with what he's gone through to get to this point," Self said. "To have everything thrown at him, he's still kept his focus and had the discipline to go ahead and see it through."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Ole Miss beats Virginia Tech 81-72 in NIT quarterfinals
BLACKSBURG, Va. -- Chris Warren scored five of his 22 points during a 9-0 second half run Wednesday night and Mississippi beat Virginia Tech 81-72 in the NIT quarterfinals to earn a trip to Madison Square Garden in New York.
Ole Miss (24-10) led 51-49 with 10-49 to play before Warren's layup sparked the burst. He later added a 3-pointer, Eniel Polynice hit a jumper and Kenny Williams made a layup to cap the spurt, which gave the Rebels a 60-49 led with 8:22 to play.
The Hokies (21-14), who got 23 points from Deron Washington in the final game of his college career, never got closer than seven thereafter in a game that wasn't really as close as the score. Virginia Tech was outrebounded 46-23 and shot under 40 percent.
Dwayne Curtis added 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Rebels, Williams had 10 points and 11 rebounds and David Huertas finished with 16 points and seven rebounds.
Mississippi shot better than 49 percent and grabbed 16 offensive rebounds.
A.D. Vassallo scored 16 points for the Hokies, but missed 15 of his 21 field goal tries, and Malcolm Delaney scored 14. Vassallo had seven assists and Delaney five.
The Rebels led 33-31 at halftime and never trailed again. Virginia Tech drew even at 49 with 12 minutes left on J.T. Thompson's layup, but Huertas hit one of his four 3-pointers 14 seconds later and the Hokies eventually fell as many as 13 points down.
Virginia Tech, which blew out UAB on Monday night, 75-49, started the same way against Mississippi, scoring 12 of the first 15 points to fire up the crowd of 9,615.
But the Rebels responded quickly with an 18-5 run and led 21-17 after 11:30.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Kansas, Wisconsin top field of 8 starting tournament in Omaha
OMAHA, Neb. -- Kansas and Wisconsin may top the field of eight starting the NCAA tournament in Omaha, but Southern California and UNLV are hoping to make it a tough ticket to Detroit and the Sweet 16.
Kansas (31-3) beat Texas Sunday for the Big 12 title, and earned a short trip to Omaha with the tournament's lowest No. 1 seed in the Midwest regional. The Jayhawks face Big Sky champion No. 16 Portland State (23-9) in the first round.
No. 3 Wisconsin (29-4) also won its conference tournament on Sunday, taking the Big 10 regular season and tournament titles for the first time in the same year. The Badgers face No. 14 Cal State Fullerton (24-8), which won the Big West.
The matchup between No. 6 USC and No. 11 Kansas State pits top freshmen O.J. Mayo against Michael Beasley, with the winner likely facing Wisconsin. The Trojans (21-11) lost to top-seeded UCLA in the Pac-10 semifinals. Kansas State (20-11) was bounced in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament by Texas A&M.
Mountain West champion UNLV faces Mid-American champion Kent State, with the winner likely facing Kansas in the second round. The eighth-seeded Rebels (26-7) beat BYU by 15 in its conference title game. No. 9 Kent State (28-6) won its conference title on Saturday over Akron.
Two sweet-16 teams will emerge from Omaha, and move onto the third round in Detroit. The winner of the Midwest region will meet the East winner in the Final Four in San Antonio in early April.
On Thursday, Kansas and Portland State tip off at 11:25 a.m. CDT, with UNLV and Kent State immediately following. USC and Kansas State start the night session at 6:10 p.m. with Wisconsin and Cal State Fullerton wrapping up the session. The second-round games will be played on Saturday.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Utah State rolls in WAC quarterfinals, beating San Jose
LAS CRUCES, N.M. -- Jaycee Carroll scored 24 points and freshman Tai Wesley added 15 points, nine rebounds and six blocked shots as Utah State beat San Jose State 85-65 Thursday in the WAC quarterfinals.
Tyler Newbold added 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field, Gary Wilkinson scored 15 and the top-seeded Aggies (24-9) won their seventh straight to reach the tournament semifinals.
It didn't take long for Carroll, who hit 10-of-13 from the floor, to seize control. He made his first five field goals and scored 10 points as Utah State raced to a 19-8 lead through the first 5½ minutes.
The sharpshooter from Evanston, Wyo., had a putback, hit a jumper, then made consecutive 3-pointers, forcing a San Jose timeout. Seconds later, Pooh Williams hit another 3-pointer and Carroll made a floater, putting the Aggies up 24-9.
"Jaycee's winning," Utah State students chanted, noting their star player had scored more at that stage than the entire San Jose roster.
DaShawn Wright and C.J. Webster each scored 16 for San Jose State (13-19).
But the Aggies showed they had more than just Carroll.
Newbold made 5-of-6 of his 3-point attempts, and Wesley consistently worked the ball inside for layups. The youngster was a force with his interior defense -- evidenced by his blocked shots.
But make no mistake, this is Carroll's team.
He finished the regular season as the nation's most accurate 3-point shooter, hitting 50.2 percent. He was named WAC player of the year after leading the league in scoring at 22.7 points.
The Aggies put it out of reach early in the second half, when Carroll swished a 3-pointer to cap a 10-0 run. That came after the Spartans cut it to 39-31 with two baskets to begin the second half.
A 12-0 burst later in the second half pushed Utah State's lead to 70-49, and the Aggies improved to 20-0 when they hold their opponent below 70 points.
Utah State is just one of three teams -- along with Gonzaga and Kansas -- to win 23 games over the past nine seasons.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Robbie Harman's 18 points lead Cent. Michigan over W. Mich. 72-68
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- Robbie Harman tied a career high with 18 points as Central Michigan defeated Western Michigan 72-68 Tuesday night.
Harman shot 5-for-7 from 3-point land, as the Chippewas (13-15, 8-7 Mid-American) hit 10 3-point field goals in the win.
Central Michigan made just four of its first 21 field goal attempts, allowing Western Michigan (18-11, 11-4) to jump out to a 23-11 lead with 6:17 to play in the first half.
The Chippewas answered late in the opening half, finishing with a 14-2 run to even the score at 25-25 at halftime.
The Broncos took the lead early in the second half, but the Chippewas went on a 17-3 run midway through the final half to establish a 44-34 lead that they would never relinquish.
Giordan Watson had 17 points for Central Michigan, while Jordan Bitzer added 13 points and six rebounds.
David Kool had 24 points to lead the Broncos. Shawntes Gary had 20 points, and Joe Reitz added 10.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Lopez leads defensive clampdown as No. 9 Stanford holds off Cal 79-69
STANFORD, Calif. -- Brook Lopez left the court at halftime with a sense of satisfaction, and it certainly wasn't because Stanford's best big man had scored only two points.
Lopez had just helped to hold California star Ryan Anderson to two fewer points than Lopez managed in that opening half -- and after 20 more minutes of impressive team defense, everybody in Cardinal felt good about themselves.
Anthony Goods scored 20 points and Lopez added 15 points and nine rebounds in No. 9 Stanford's 79-69 victory over the Golden Bears on Sunday night, keeping the Cardinal in the race for the Pac-10 title with their ninth win in 10 games.
Robin Lopez and Mitch Johnson had 11 points apiece for the Cardinal (22-4, 11-3), who improved to 14-1 at Maples Pavilion with another methodical win in which they maintained a small lead throughout the second half. Stanford also swept the season series from its cross-Bay rival, following an 82-77 win in Berkeley last month.
Both teams' biggest stars were tested, and Anderson felt he didn't respond as well as Brook Lopez, who took time out from jawing with Cal center DeVon Hardin to contribute to the dirty work in hounding Anderson -- the Pac-10's leading scorer -- into a scoreless first half.
"These games do get a little heated, but I've been trying to keep from exploding and just enjoy these physical games," Lopez said. "Basketball is always fun. We're out there because we love it. ... We tried hard to defense (Anderson). He definitely missed some opportunities. He had a few open-look 3s that just didn't fall for him. He's a great player. He just didn't have a good game."
Lawrence Hill scored just nine points for Stanford, but the junior forward hit a big basket and three free throws as the Cardinal held off Cal's last run. After Anderson hit two free throws with 4:47 left to cut the Cardinal's lead to 64-62, Stanford took charge with a 10-2 rally that included six points from Brook Lopez and a key layup from Goods, who went 8-for-8 on free throws.
"We were resilient in this game, thankfully," Stanford coach Trent Johnson said. "They're so good offensively, and we knew what to expect, but we responded well to their surges. Taj (Finger) and Brook both got a little banged up in all that contact underneath, but they both contributed as they always do."
Anderson finished with 15 points on 2-for-13 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds against Stanford, which held him to a season-low 11 in the schools' first meeting this season. He made all 10 of his free throws, but Anderson couldn't hit two open 3-pointers that would have given Cal (15-10, 6-8) its first lead since the opening minutes.
"I definitely rushed some things and didn't play like I wanted to," Anderson said. "It's not up to me to score every point in a game, anyway. Everybody has their off nights, and that was tonight for me. Those are shots that normally go down."
Patrick Christopher also scored 15 points for Cal, which had won four of six to boost its flagging NCAA tournament hopes. The Bears have lost nine of 12 to the Cardinal, who still have two games left against ranked teams before the conference tournament to improve their stock.
"We just couldn't put it together," Christopher said. "We didn't have much poise, that's what it came down to. We just didn't execute it."
The victory capped a dominant season for Stanford in the major sports against its biggest rival, including the women's basketball team's two wins over Cal and the football team's surprising win over the Bears in the Big Game. Most of the Stanford football team crowded onto the court at halftime to display The Axe, awarded to the winner of the annual rivalry game.
"Just like football!" the well-heeled Maples crowd chanted gleefully in the final seconds.
Stanford hadn't played since winning at Arizona on Feb. 16. Stanford's road loss last week to Arizona State is its only blemish since dropping the Pac-10 opener to UCLA, which sits one game ahead of the Cardinal in the conference standings. The schools meet in Westwood on March 6.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Saint Mary's hits 17 3-pointers in 100-64 rout of Pepperdine
MALIBU, Calif. -- It cames as no shock to Saint Mary's coach Randy Bennett that his team would have a record breaking night from behind the 3-point line.
Patrick Mills scored 18 points, Todd Golden added 15 and 10 assists, and No. 23 Saint Mary's hit a school record 17 3-pointers in a 100-64 win over Pepperdine on Monday night.
The Gaels (23-3, 10-1) went 17-for-29 from beyond the arc.
"Shoot those 3s," Bennett said. "The law of averages played out for us."
Saint Mary's used a 19-2 run in the first half to put the game away. The Gaels led by 30 at the half and never looked back. Saint Mary's hit 10 3-pointers in the first half and the Waves were 0-for-10.
"We definitely did not set out to break it -- it just happened," Mills said.
Malcolm Thomas had 11 points and 11 rebounds and Rico Tucker added 10 points for Pepperdine (9-18, 3-8).
Saint Mary's shot a season-high 58.6 percent (34-for-58) from the field and outrebounded the Waves 43-31.
Trailing early on, Saint Mary's went on a 19-2 run to take a 21-6 lead with 12:31 left in the first half. The Waves scored the next seven points, but then the Gaels used a 15-2 spurt to take a 21-point lead with 5:58 left in the half.
Saint Mary's then continued its onslaught, extending the advantage to 53-21 on two free throws by Todd Golden.
"We're pretty good when we get a team down," Bennett said. "We have a balanced attack."
Lucas Walker hit the record-breaking 3-pointer with 6:41 left in the game.
"Not shocking," said Carlin Hughes, who hit four 3-pointers. "We knew the open shots were coming no matter what."
It was the first time Saint Mary's scored 100 points since putting up 104 against Pepperdine on Feb. 28, 2004.
It's the second straight game Saint Mary's has beaten an opponent by more than 30 points. The Gaels routed Loyola Marymount by 31 on Saturday.
"We're putting a message out there," Hughes said.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
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