Patrick Jackson Pursues His NBA Dream

Patrick Jackson is definitely glad he listened to his mother, Linda Jackson, a month ago when she told him to make sure he took advantage of an opportunity to attend an open tryout with the Charlotte Bobcats.

The former Ball State University standout had joined the work force after a season with a team in Greece. He was back home in Muncie, Indiana working in pharmaceuticals when he received a phone call from Bobcats General Manager & Head Coach Bernie Bickerstaff asking if he would like to attend a tryout with the team on the weekend of June 25-27.

“I was already working and really wasn’t even going to come until she talked me into it,” said Jackson. “She said, ‘You have nothing to lose. Just go out there, play hard, have fun and see what happens.’ She’s the reason I actually came out – even for the weekend tryout. She’s never let me give up on my dream of playing professionally.”

Jackson’s weekend tryout has turned into a month-long stay with the Bobcats and now a trip to the Rocky Mountain Revue summer league.

“It’s been kind of crazy,” said Jackson. “I came in just for that one weekend, coming down just to see what would happen, and I’m still here three weeks later. This has been a great learning experience. I’ve had a great time with the coaching staff and the players. I’m just eager to continue to work hard and see what can possibly happen.”

Jackson completed his career at Ball State as the school’s career leader in three-point field goals with 202. The 5-10, 160-pound point guard averaged 16.6 points, 3.5 assists and 1.4 steals as a senior in 2001-02. With the Cardinals, Jackson was teammates with Theron Smith, who was selected by the Bobcats in the Expansion Selection.

“That was a great experience,” said Jackson of his time at Ball State. “Me and Theron had a chance to play together. We had an unbelievable run my senior year and also had a pretty good season my junior year. I played for a great coach and a great school. My coach really worked with me and helped me develop my game.”

After his senior year, Jackson worked out for the Milwaukee Bucks and Portland Trail Blazers before eventually going to summer mini-camp with the Bucks. He then went to Washington D.C. to continue to prepare for his professional career by working out with Bernie Bickerstaff for four weeks. His travels next took him to Greece for a stint with a team there before knee surgery put a temporary halt to his NBA dreams.

“Then I just kind of hung it up,” said Jackson. “I told myself that basketball was over for me. I was actually working for a pharmaceutical company, but this opportunity came open and I took a leave of absence. About three or four weeks before I came, I just really hit it hard and tried to get in the best shape I could. I told my company that I was going to go and pursue my dream and see what happens. If it doesn’t work out, then I’ll go back.”

Jackson caught the collective eye of the Bobcats basketball staff at the open tryouts and was one of only four players invited back to the team’s rookie/free agent mini-camp. When camp broke for the Minnesota Summer League later that week, he was still on the roster.

Jackson finished fourth in the summer league event with 4.2 assists per game and added 3.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals per outing as the Bobcats finished with a 5-0 record. He saved his best work for the final game when he handed out a game-high eight assists against the Detroit Pistons.

“We had a good group of guys that really jelled together and played well,” said Jackson. “I think I played okay. I feel like I played solid defensively.”

Jackson believes that for him to succeed in the NBA, he’s going to have to be a playmaker offensively and create havoc on the defensive end of the floor.

“In college, I did a lot of scoring,” said Jackson. “I was kind of a combo guard – one and two. But in this league, at my size, I’m going to have to be a playmaker for guys – getting guys shots. I’m also going to have to be a pest on defense, picking up guys full court and bringing a lot of energy to the game. Then maybe when the opportunity is there, break a guy off the dribble and get in the lane and look for my shot.”

Jackson prides himself on doing the dirty work on defense.

“I’m a small point guard, so I just try to give guards a bit of trouble in the backcourt, running some time off the shot clock so by the time they get in their flow, they are kind of disrupted and disoriented,” said Jackson. “I think that’s what I do well, just putting pressure on the ball and creating a little havoc in the backcourt.”

Now, close to a month after Jackson first arrived in Charlotte for the open tryouts, Jackson is still with the Bobcats. This time he’s in Salt Lake City for the Rocky Mountain Revue summer league. You can rest assure that his mom is just a phone call away providing encouragement.

“She’s always been my backbone and my encouragement and just kind of kept me going even through times when I didn’t think I played too well,” said Jackson. “Even now, there’s different things that are going on for a player like myself who’s just kind of day-to-day. She just continues to encourage me and tells me to play hard and you never know what could happen.”

by Bo Hussey, BobcatsBasketball.com
Posted: July 18, 2004