For an undersized guard looking for a new home, few names hold more coaching clout than Bobby Hurley.
Talk about been there, done that: Hurley was a No. 7 overall pick as a 6-foot point guard out of Duke; a two-time NCAA champion; the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player; a consensus first-team All-American; a three-time All-ACC pick; and a McDonald's All-American Game MVP. As far as bona fides go, they don’t go much better.
But Arizona State entered the Marreon Jackson sweepstakes a bit late in the process earlier this year, Hurley — the Sun Devils' coach — worried that his chance may have been missed.
And when the Mid-American Conference Player of the Year becomes available to fill a huge hole in your lineup, that’s not something you want to miss.
A game of inches
Jackson came up as a football player, but eventually found his calling on the basketball courts of Cleveland, where he led Garfield Heights High School to a regional championship as a senior. He was dominant, averaging better than 23 points per game while adding 7.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game. Instant offense, really.
Only one problem. Well, two.
As a senior in high school, he stood just 5 feet 11 inches tall. That alone knocked him from some recruiting lists. But he also weighed just 155 pounds. That knocked him off others.
There was no knock on his game. Just his size.
But it was enough to scare off most high-major suitors — including Michigan, he said — and he ended up with offers from Kent State, Cleveland State, Buffalo and Eastern Kentucky, among others.
He landed at nearby Toledo, where, he says, he knew he’d play right away.
And he did, starting 32 of 33 games for the 2017-18 Rockets, averaging 8.0 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.
He had his ups and downs as a freshman — all freshmen do — but he never let the downs derail him. After being held scoreless in an early February matchup with Akron, he came back to score 13 just three days later. He had moxie.
But he wasn't put to the test until the Mid-American Conference semifinals. About a minute into it, to be specific.
Rockets star Tre'Shaun Fletcher had hurt his left knee earlier in the tournament but tried to tough it out. He quickly discovered he couldn't go.
Jackson saved the day. The fearless freshman scored 26 points and hit a school-record eight 3-pointers, including a game-winner with nine seconds left.
“Fletch, he came to me, he pulled me aside, and he said, ‘This is your time. Lead us,’” Jackson said. “That game I went off for 26. That started everything.”
From Toledo to Tempe
And now he comes to Arizona State with a chance to finish it.
Granted a fifth season of eligibility because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jackson chose to move west, trading the chilly winters of Ohio for temperate Tempe.
For Hurley, whose team imploded last year despite high expectations, it was a coup, one of many offseason moves for the Sun Devils. The Sun Devils also added Illinois State guard D.J. Horne and Boston College guard Jay Heath.
“Having guys like Marreon Jackson, D.J. Horne, who’ve played college basketball, who’ve been through practices like that, who have that experience — they pick things up very quick,” Hurley said before the season started. “It's nice to have those kinds of transfers. Push-button-type guys.”
The opportunity to shine for Hurley is what ultimately brought Jackson to the desert. Through eight games, Jackson is averaging 8.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. His 38 assists are tops on the team; no other ASU player has more than 13.
ASU (2-6, 0-1) will take on Oregon on Sunday in Eugene.
“The name Bobby Hurley, I mean, I knew the name without knowing him,” Jackson said. “As they started getting into a conversation, people would tell me everything about him. He was just like me: a small guard, leader of his team, and for him to go first round by winning? Why wouldn’t I want to play under a guy like that?”
It was a quick learning curve for Jackson to become accustomed to Hurley’s sometimes brash style. When you’re one of the best collegiate point guards to play the game, you develop a certain swagger. It’s not easy to shake it as a coach.
“He’s been a blessing, day in and day out, critiquing my game,” Jackson said before the season. “He gives me pointers every day. We have these talks about how I can be a better leader. The main thing, especially with this team, and so many new guys, was creating that bond. Learning my teammates — you can’t approach every person the same way. Some people you have to talk to with soft words, some people you have to get on.”
For an Arizona State team long on talent but short on discipline and cohesiveness last year, Jackson’s words will carry added weight this season. Gone are the team’s top three scorers: Remy Martin — the team’s unquestioned leader, off to Kansas — first-round NBA Draft pick Josh Christopher, and spark plug Allonzo Verge Jr., who transferred to Nebraska. Returning are Marcus Bagley, Jalen Graham and Kimani Lawrence.
Then there's Jackson.
“I felt like everyone respected me because of my resume, but really our scrimmage, our latest scrimmage, I think I opened some eyes. I played maybe 18 minutes, but my stat line — I don’t think they realized I had the stat line I had. I hate saying it, but I wouldn’t say I’m a (good) practice player. I use practice to get to know my teammates. I want to know their tendencies. I don’t want to score that much in practice.
“It may look deceiving.”
And that’s just fine for Jackson. He’s used to being counted out.
A health scare — and a new purpose
He wasn’t used to being down for the count, though.
If being underrated because of his size put one chip on Jackson’s shoulder, a sudden brush with mortality put one on the other.
It was the spring of 2018, and Jackson was just settling into his role as leader of the Rockets. And then his alarm clock failed him and he was late to practice one day. He sprinted to the gym, but he was late, and the punishment was more running.
After just one rep, his chest felt heavy. It was only him and a coach in the gym at the time. Jackson fell to a knee and said he couldn’t breathe, then collapsed face-first onto the parquet. His heart had stopped.
Just before medical personnel were about to start with the defibrillator paddles, his heart started again.
“It was crazy,” Jackson said. “I woke up, heard everything that was going on, but I couldn’t open my eyes. I heard all my teammates and coaches, who ran in. Finally, my eyes opened in the back of the ambulance and I started having a panic attack. The next time I woke up, it was two days later, and I woke up asking when did March Madness come on?”
He’d missed the Final Four, but he’d found new motivation.
“I’m way more focused on my goals,” he said. “I don’t have a lot of room for nonsense. It made me grow up a lot.”
When he was medically cleared to return to the court, he was a new man. He spent the ensuing months building his stamina and his body. After entering his collegiate career at 5-11, 155 pounds, he now stands at 6-1, 195.
With one more season to make an impact on NBA scouts, he understands the mission.
“The job is not done,” he said. “My ultimate goal is playing in the NBA and getting drafted. I won’t be satisfied. I know I can play at that level. A lot of people know I was capable of it. Now I have the platform.”
