Mizzou’s Tray Jackson provides highlights, taste of his athleticism in Arkansas win
Coming out of a timeout with seconds remaining in the first half, the Missouri Tigers called timeout to set up their final possession. Once guard Xavier Pinson was double-teamed, he quickly found forward Tray Jackson at the top of the arc.
Staring down a wide open lane, Jackson exploded toward the basket. Once Arkansas defenders rotated over, it was too late. Jackson soared for a one-handed tomahawk dunk — all while drawing a foul. It brought down the roof in what the freshman said was one of his first career highlights in college.
“When I go up for dunks, I don’t really pay attention to who’s jumping,” Jackson said. “I just try to focus as best I can on making it.”
But aside from Jackson’s first dunk, he wasn’t done. That’s the good with Jackson: He’s plenty athletic, and he showcased that in Mizzou’s 83-79 overtime victory over Arkansas.
An alley-oop from Pinson met Jackson right before the rim as Jackson threw down another dunk. At one point, Jackson skied for a block on the defensive end, sprinted down the floor, then timed his leap perfectly for a two-handed put-back off a Mizozu miss.
Then there’s the not-so-good, including Mizzou’s last possession of regulation. While he was put in a bad spot with the clock winding down, Jackson also admitted he didn’t realize the Tigers had a shot clock on that possession.
Those are the the type of growing pains for the Detroit native in his freshman season. There’s been flashes of who he can be, like when he scored a career-high 11 points against Tennessee. But there are also the games where he picks up two bad fouls against Mississippi State, regulating him to one minute played.
But that’s part of the process, Mizzou coach Cuonzo Martin said. For Jackson, while there’s the growth aspect of him rounding out his game, Martin said he also needs to get into better game shape. While practices are helpful, game speed leads to more fatigue, which Martin said is the next step for the freshman forward.
“He doesn’t have a lot flowing through his ears,” Martin said Jackson. “Meaning there’s not a lot of people giving him advice. That would make him great. He’s a talented player. He’s athletic, he’s strong next step for him.”
For Jackson, the Arkansas win was an important part of his development. While he didn’t sub in until the 5:18 mark in the first half, he still finished with 15 minutes played, just one shy off his career high.
But the pivotal part of Saturday was crunch time. Martin subbed him in for stretches late in the second half and in overtime, where the freshman earned the bulk of his minutes.
Part of that was because of foul trouble, including for forward Reed Nikko, who fouled out with 3:01 left in the game. There was also the game plan as Jackson’s 6-foot-8 frame led to mismatches and advantages against the undersized Arkansas front.
“It felt good,” Jackson said of playing crunch-time minutes. “It made me feel good being in at the last minute, it lets me know my coach has some type of trust in me to do the right things.”
Jackson finished with nine points and four rebounds, including an efficient 4 for 5 shooting. It was a step in the positive direction as he continues to mature his game.
But like many Tigers, the next step for Jackson is consistency. Sandwiched between Saturday’s 15 minutes played and a 16-minute outing against South Carolina, Jackson played just four minutes at Texas A&M. For the freshman to see the floor more, it comes down to limiting the mistakes and making an impact.
“More than anything, it’s getting yourself going too,” Jackson said. “Make plays. Get your teammates into it. Get into it yourself. Get intense. That’s the biggest thing.”
Mark Smith, Tilmon update
While forward Jeremiah Tilmon was expected to play against the Razorbacks, he was held out because of an injury. Martin said after the game that Tilmon is still dealing with an injury to his left foot. Tilmon made his return against Texas A&M last Tuesday, playing 12 minutes, but he won’t play Tuesday at LSU, Martin told reporters Monday.
Mark Smith, meanwhile, was deemed available to play after going through pregame warmups, but didn’t see a minute against the Hogs. He’s a game-time decision, Martin told reporters Monday. The junior has missed the past three games.
This story was originally published February 9, 2020 at 5:00 AM.