January 22, 2015

Double-Double Dude: Charles Jackson has found a home in Cookeville

Despite a wide variety of roadblocks and obstacles that might have denied someone less determined, Charles Jackson has persevered and powered his way through, eventually finding a home at Tennessee Tech where he has made double-doubles almost routine.

Despite a wide variety of roadblocks and obstacles that might have denied someone less determined, Charles Jackson has persevered and powered his way through, eventually finding a home at Tennessee Tech where he has made double-doubles almost routine. - From unlimited magazine (January/February edition)

By Mike Lehman, Sports Information Coordinator

For Golden Eagle fans who have witnessed the brilliant play of a certain 6-foot-10, fully dreadlocked post player, the term double-double has essentially lost its meaning. Highlight-reel dunks and blocks that fly high into the stands are just part of the game. Everything on the court looks so easy, almost God-given
or provided by birthright.

He knows better than that. There’s been no shortage of hurdles along his journey from Sacramento to Cookeville, roadblocks and dead ends that would turn back the average man and force them to find a new path in life. But behind a support group stronger than any concrete barrier and a mission to prove all the doubters and naysayers wrong, Charles Jackson has emerged from it all
to become the “Double-Double Man.”

Raised practically from birth in the capital of California (he was actually born in Portland, Ore. while his father, Charles, tried to earn a rap contract), Charles wasn’t always the dominant figure fans see on the court. At an early age, he was already fighting an uphill battle.

“I didn’t really start playing organized basketball until about the eighth or ninth grade,” Jackson explained. “I didn’t even get a chance to play in seventh grade. Teams wouldn’t let me play or even give me a chance when I was in middle school.”

The first of many challenges he would face had already threatened to end his basketball career before it started. It had no chance.

“Everyday I used to walk over to the park across the street and play. I knew that even if they thought I was weak, I was going to improve and get better every day no matter what. I knew just playing; whether it was against older people or by myself; I knew just getting out there would help me get better. So that’s what I did.”

Between that and constant support and help from his parents, Jackson embarked on the one path he saw fit for him, a career in basketball and college degree.

“My mom [Mary] won a state championship her sophomore year. She taught me how to roll the ball off my fingers. She used to push me around on the court to help toughen me up and I used to say ‘Mom! What the heck! You’re not supposed to be doing that’. Haha. But it was fun.”

“My dad helped me a lot too. He’s the one who taught me how to do my hook shot. But they’re my biggest motivators. They keep me happy and help me to get better. They’ve always encouraged me and are always behind me in every decision I make. Even if they don’t always agree with me, they always support me and are behind me regardless.”

Jackson fended off a second major challenge that tends to plague other athletes during their prep careers, a growth spurt that never seemed ready to stop.

A three-sport athlete at Grant Union High School in Sacramento, he began his freshman year on the football field standing at a modest 5-foot-6. Over the next five years, Jackson sprouted at an average of nearly four inches a summer, finally settling in at 6-foot-10 as a sophomore in college.

“I didn’t really notice that I was growing. I was just out there playing the same way I always had. I kept the same approach in every sport I played, whether it was basketball, baseball or football. Really the only difference I noticed was my shot ended up changing a lot because I used to be a shooting guard.”

It was during his high school career that he really learned how to use everything he did in athletics to develop his skills on the basketball court.

“I’ve always loved basketball. It’s always been my favorite sport. I played football for my dad because he was a football player and he loved it. I liked football and baseball, but I used them to help myself get better for basketball. I approached every sport like that, using the skills I learned in those to get better at basketball.”

But it was also during his high school career that one of the biggest obstacles of his career nearly brought an end to it all.

“I got cut my junior year in high school from the varsity team. I thought my life was over. But everyone came together for me and had my back. My little brother would say ‘Hey let’s go the park and practice.’ And my dad told me to keep my head up and keep working hard every day. They picked me up every day and really are what drove me to make the team again as a senior. I needed that and they were there for me. I don’t know what I would have done without their support, but they kept me going.”

As a senior, Jackson didn’t see the floor as a regular starter, averaging just 10 points and six rebounds per game while still adjusting to his growing frame. Without a star-studded background as a prep player, he knew that the next step in his journey was the junior college route. And that started at Chabot College.

Jackson wound up redshirting his first year of college ball, sitting out as a freshman at Chabot College. He developed a relationship with then Chabot assistant Devin Aye, so when Aye took the head coaching gig at Lassen College in the spring of 2012, Jackson found himself transferring to get the chance he had worked so hard for.

“When I first saw Charles, he was all arms and legs,” Aye said. “He wasn’t coordinated enough to dunk, and he wasn’t ready to play college basketball. That’s why he redshirted when we were at Chabot his first year. My father (Denny Aye, head coach at Chabot) and I both agreed it was in Charles’ best interest for him to get away from the city and come with me to Lassen. And we were right.”

Still just 6-foot-5 and 170 pounds while at Chabot, Jackson endured his final growth spurt as a redshirt, joining the Lassen College squad at 6-foot-10 and 220 pounds with a dunk-the-ball-every-chance-he-had approach.

He enjoyed the very definition of a breakout season, recording an incredible 21 double-doubles in 32 games while leading Lassen to a 23-9 record, 20 victories more than the previous season. Jackson averaged 12.2 points and 11.4 rebounds per game, earning MVP honors from the Golden Valley Conference and All-State accolades.

In one season he had transformed from an under-developed project to top Division I prospect, gaining interest from several programs from the Pac-12, WAC, Mountain West, Big Sky and other conferences. Among those teams, UCLA and    Missouri showed strong interest.

But just when his road to seemed open and unimpeded, another hairpin turn appeared out of nowhere, testing his resilience and work ethic again. And this would prove to be his toughest test of all.

“I didn’t even think I broke my leg at first,” Jackson said. “I just heard a pop and my body went into shock. So I got up and tried to take a step, but it was all wobbly and I just knew that something wasn’t right. It didn’t look bad and they didn’t think it was broken, but I knew it was bad.”

Jackson was in just his first week at the College of Southern Idaho, having transferred to take the next step in his development and receive a course load in the classroom that would translate easier to the Division I level.

“It was like a bad dream. I couldn’t believe it. I was scared. I had thoughts going through my head like, ‘Man, I’m never going to be the same player.’ But I just knew that God had a plan and had me go through that to make myself a better player and keep humble. I look at it as you always have to put a positive spin on things and that’s what I did.”

It would take a very positive spin to recover in time to make any kind of impact for his team that season. And once again, Jackson was up to the challenge.

“It was hard. The thing about a serious injury like that is you’re scared. You’re not sure what’s going to happen when you put all of that pressure back on your leg. A lot of people don’t think about that, but the mental part is hard. You just need to trust your physical therapist and do what they say because they are there to help you. So that’s what I did.”

“I had a lot of help from Cliff Wright from Wright Physical Therapy. He just pushed me so hard every day. Sometimes it hurt, but I knew I had to do everything he said. I wanted to make sure that my leg was strong and fully healed before I got back on the floor. I went through every challenge he gave me. And it was all good.”

Jackson managed to return for the College of Southern Idaho’s final 16 games during the 2013-14 season, seeing limited action as he eased back into the pace of the game. He averaged 5.8 points and 5.6 rebounds while playing just under 18 minutes per game, playing a reserve role while his team finished the year at 27-5 and 12-3 in conference play.

The team enjoyed success, finishing the year ranked No. 10 in the NJCAA poll, but for Jackson, the recruiting trail had grown soft.

“Everyone basically left after I broke my leg. I would get calls from some schools that stopped contacting me after I broke my leg and started up again after I started playing again. That was hard. Morehead State and Portland State were on me from the very beginning, but even they took a break after the injury. I was just struggling to deal with people reaching out to me again.”

A road to Cookeville opened when head men’s basketball coach Steve Payne made contact.

“Coach Payne kind of contacted me out of nowhere. But just listening to him talk about his team and the family environment here, plus his relationship with Coach Cox (former head coach of CSI, current assistant at Southern Miss.), I knew this was where I wanted to go.”

“I liked how he was with the players and how nice of a person he is. And I was glad to hear someone finally tell me how much they really wanted me. That was important. I hadn’t heard that a lot, especially when the chips were down and I was still coming back from the injury. I knew that as soon as I took my visit, I was going to sign with Tennessee Tech.”

It didn’t take long for the big man to make his presence felt. Golden Eagle fans got a small taste of what was to come in the team’s exhibition victory over Bluefield College, a 10-point, 15-rebound performance over 18 minutes.

Over the team’s first six games, Jackson put up double-digit figures all over the scoreboard, becoming the first Tech player in over 30 years to not only start a season, but also a career with six straight double-doubles.

Now halfway through the season, he leads the Golden Eagles in scoring and the Ohio Valley Conference in rebounding, averaging 13.9 points and 10.1 boards per game. He also ranks second nationally with 11 double-doubles, becoming the first Golden Eagle to record that many since Daniel Northern in the 2008-09 season.

His success on the court has also led to three adidas® OVC Newcomer of the Week honors.

But for him, the numbers and awards fall by the wayside.

“It’s cool to get double-doubles and everything, but it doesn’t mean anything if you don’t win. It’s not about me. I’m not a stats guy. I’m a caring guy. I’ll do whatever it takes for my team to win.”

“That’s all I care about. I know I’ve had some success, but all I care about is winning and my team. I want to win for them and help them succeed. We play hard as a team and a unit and we get better every day and I know that.

And that’s the next challenge on the road for Jackson. It’s been 10 years since the last OVC crown for a Golden Eagle squad. And it’s been even longer since a Tech team found itself in the NCAA tournament.

But with Jackson’s presence in the paint and the Golden Eagle squad looking more and more like an OVC contender every day, history looks ready to change.

“I came here to win. Period. I still think that way. It’s my goal to help this team raise a banner here, not just for the school, but for the entire community. The fans are great, but they want to get their money’s worth. So if we can bring them a championship, it would be really special for us and for them.”