Challenge Of The Stars Seattle Standout Lured To Spokane By National Aspirations

Takiyah Jackson didn’t need another challenge, she just couldn’t resist one.

When Ron Adams called Jackson in Seattle and asked her to play for the U-18 Spokane Stars in the national AAU basketball tournament, she hesitated.

Jackson has a scholarship to UCLA, so she didn’t need the exposure. She had to consider a fifth straight summer away from home.

Besides, when it comes to basketball, Jackson has been there and done that.

But when the Stars fly to Dallas Wednesday morning, beginning their quest to give the program its 12th trophy in 13 years, Jackson will be on board.

“After I thought about it, I wanted to go to nationals,” Jackson said. “I wanted to play against the kind of competition they have back there. Besides, I need to be in shape for next year. I made the decision and stuck with it.”

The team is certainly in good shape with the 6-foot-2 Jackson.

She earned all-league and all-state honors four years, the last two as the Washington Class AA Player of the Year. She is also the 1995 Gatorade Player of the Year for Washington and a Parade All-American.

Most telling about Jackson’s ability, more than career averages around 20 points, 15 rebounds and five assists per game, is what she accomplished as a senior - leading the Franklin Quakers to second place in the State AA Tournament after a semifinal win over Cheney.

What makes that remarkable is that Jackson had just transferred to Franklin - after starting for a Lakeside (Seattle) team that won State AA titles her freshman and junior seasons and finished second when she was a sophomore (losing to Prairie, which won the State AAA title the next year).

“It was basically a decision away from basketball,” the thoughtful, soft-spoken Jackson said. “I wanted a new experience before I graduated.”

Jackson attended Lakeside from fifth grade and seemed to know everyone in the small (430 enrollment) high school. Franklin (1,400 enrollment) was another challenge.

“Franklin had a lot more people, a lot of diversity,” she said. “I just enjoyed being in school with a lot of different people. For the first time I didn’t know everyone.”

The ability to adapt can only help a select team such as the Stars.

Adams called her the best-passing big person he has ever recruited. That has to be a natural skill, since Jackson took up basketball relatively late compared to most players found on all-star teams.

“I started in eighth grade,” she said. “I just played a lot of other sports. I was athletic first, then I slowly learned the fundamentals of basketball. It’s just something that came, not really natural, but it was comfortable.”

Stars teammate Tanya Kirk said, “She’s really finesse. She does things in a sly way, you might say. I don’t think I’ve seen her whole game. I’m very confident in her skills, I can tell you that much.”

Jackson said blending the talents on a team of stars can be as difficult as joining a new high school team of more varied abilities.

“The only thing you can do is play together a lot,” she said. “So far it seems like it’s going well. I’m having fun. Sometimes I miss being home, but only when I’m away from basketball. Besides, if I had nothing to do, that’s what I’d be doing. I need to be doing this.”

The Stars make their last appearance in Spokane tonight, playing against the Stars’ U-16 team at University High School at 7. The 16s are also going to Dallas for the national tournament.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: SPOKANE STARS ROSTER Name Ht. School Class College Tracy Ford 5-11 University Senior EWU Tricia Lamb 5-10 St.John/Endicott Sophomore —- Jennifer Kerns 5-7 Lake City Senior WSU Takiyah Jackson 6-2 Franklin Senior UCLA Lynn Brown 5-6 Liberty Bell Junior —- Lynne Overly 5-10 Centennial (Boise) Senior Albertson Melissa Dodge 6-0 Lake City Senior Vermont Alli Nieman 6-1 Sandpoint Junior —- Tanya Kirk 6-1 North Idaho College Freshman NIC