I am fully expecting to get very mixed reviews on this, but.....
CJ is one of my favorite Buckeye players of all time.
Not because he is the best player, fastest player, best defender or because he is a ‘glue guy’.
Because he is the guy that came in as a complete ‘joke’ at the time he was recruited. At the time, ‘everyone’ decided that bashing Matta was right and acceptable. CJ came in with less than no fanfare as a kid that got an offer to fill a spot in a program that couldn’t get a quality point guard to commit (he took a leap of faith and committed without visiting). No one expected him to be any better than Jeremie Simmons, Nick Dials or (bonus points if you remember this beaut) Don Jantonio.
But what happened? CJ Jackson was a bit player on Thad Matta’s last abysmal team. He could have hung his head and just been a guy that was happy to have a full ride to a Big Ten school. He didn’t settle.
He has done things NOONE ever expected out of him. Key player on a 25-9 team picked to finish in the bottom 3 of the Big Ten last year and another ‘rebuilding’ team this year that was picked to finished in one of the double-digit places. All the while, I can point to at least 3 huge games where CJ’s shot not going in would have led to a loss (@IU the past two years and @Cincy this year). All diehard OSU basketball fans know what a house of horrors Bloomington has been over the last 25 years. Two wins in Assembly Hall is very sweet and CJ has hit two huge shots there.
Anyway, I know this is too long, but one more thing. Who expected CJ Jackson to EVER be on the cusp of a 1,000 point career? Don’t look now, but he is 98 points from that number and I hope I am at the game where he gets there. I am sure it will be as unheralded as when he was recruited, but man does he deserve the praise.
CJ is one of my favorite Buckeye players of all time.
Not because he is the best player, fastest player, best defender or because he is a ‘glue guy’.
Because he is the guy that came in as a complete ‘joke’ at the time he was recruited. At the time, ‘everyone’ decided that bashing Matta was right and acceptable. CJ came in with less than no fanfare as a kid that got an offer to fill a spot in a program that couldn’t get a quality point guard to commit (he took a leap of faith and committed without visiting). No one expected him to be any better than Jeremie Simmons, Nick Dials or (bonus points if you remember this beaut) Don Jantonio.
But what happened? CJ Jackson was a bit player on Thad Matta’s last abysmal team. He could have hung his head and just been a guy that was happy to have a full ride to a Big Ten school. He didn’t settle.
He has done things NOONE ever expected out of him. Key player on a 25-9 team picked to finish in the bottom 3 of the Big Ten last year and another ‘rebuilding’ team this year that was picked to finished in one of the double-digit places. All the while, I can point to at least 3 huge games where CJ’s shot not going in would have led to a loss (@IU the past two years and @Cincy this year). All diehard OSU basketball fans know what a house of horrors Bloomington has been over the last 25 years. Two wins in Assembly Hall is very sweet and CJ has hit two huge shots there.
Anyway, I know this is too long, but one more thing. Who expected CJ Jackson to EVER be on the cusp of a 1,000 point career? Don’t look now, but he is 98 points from that number and I hope I am at the game where he gets there. I am sure it will be as unheralded as when he was recruited, but man does he deserve the praise.
