June 12, 2009
Listen to Jackson's comments following his June 17 Indiana Pacers workout here
PITTSBURGH - When we last saw Aaron Jackson, he was leaving the Cassell Coliseum court to a standing ovation after scoring a memorable 46 points in Duquesne's 116-108 double overtime loss at Virginia Tech in the opening round of the National Invitation Tournament.
Since then, Duquesne's 12th all-time leading scorer has picked up his diploma and begun pursuit of a career in professional basketball.
Jackson has criss-crossed the country a number of times in recent months. He participated in the Portsmouth (Va.) Invitational in early April and also had workouts for the Oklahoma City Thunder and Sacramento Kings. He also spent time in Los Angeles in May concentrating on individual skills and undergoing conditioning workouts. He is currently at the IMG Basketball Academy and Pro Training Center in Bradenton, Florida where he's been for the past three weeks.
"I've been working out twice a day," said Jackson while taking a break from on-court drills on Friday. "We've been working out like mad men. We play every day from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. and we also do conditioning work every day."
Jackson, who has been playing pick-up with former Pitt players DeJuan Blair and Tyrell Biggs, former Florida guard Walter Hodge along with NBA players Joakim Noah (Chicago Bulls) and Kevin Martin (Sacramento Kings) has made his stay in Florida pay off - physically and mentally.
"I'm up to 192 pounds," said Jackson who played this past season around 181. "I've been doing a lot of conditioning work with Kevin Martin. We've also concentrated on proper nutrition. I feel like I'm in the best shape I've been in in a long time. DeJuan [Blair] looks totally different, he's dropped at least 30 pounds. He's moving around real well.
"On the court we do a lot of 5-on-5 work, drills and practice game situations," he continued." I've learned so much more about the game in the past three weeks, it has been crazy. I'm just trying to soak in as much as I can."
Jackson's work ethic has caught the eye of IMG Executive Director of the Pro Training Center, Dave Thorpe.
"Dave likes me a lot," said Jackson. "He thinks I have a lot of the right tools and could possibly make it to the NBA, whether it is this year or by taking the `Mike James' route - going overseas for a few years then coming back. He has really helped me with my game a lot."
Jackson, who has turned down a couple of overseas offers, has workouts scheduled for June 17 (Indiana), June 18 (Cleveland) and June 20 (Atlanta) and will also work out for the Charlotte Bobcats prior to the June 25th draft. There is also the possibility of a few other workouts prior to draft day.
"All I can do is keep working," said Jackson. "I'll have to see what is available free agent-wise after the draft and then decide which direction to take."
Life has certainly changed for Jackson, who broke Norm Nixon's school record for assists in a season in leading the Dukes to a 21-13 record in 2008-09.
"A couple of months ago I'd wake up and check my class schedule and see what papers were due," he said. "Now I'm glad I have a chance to focus just on basketball. Right now all I do is eat, sleep and breathe basketball."
Despite his current schedule, Jackson is especially proud of graduating with his class.
"It really feels great to know that I have that degree in my back pocket," said Jackson who went through his graduation ceremony on May 8 - the day after his workout in Oklahoma City. "There are no guarantees in basketball. You are always an ACL away - knock on wood - from a career change. Having that degree opens doors."
Jackson is now hoping to open a few doors with his play.
"Right now, all I can do is get better ... so I'm going to do what I can to just keep on getting better. We'll see what happens."
