Wichita State signee dedicating career to uncle who died from coronavirus last week
There might be some tears shed on Wednesday in Dublin, Georgia when Clarence Jackson signs his letter of intent to play Division I basketball at Wichita State.
It’s the culmination of a dream, one shared by his parents, Ryan Jackson and Juanita Durham. All of those two-hour trips to Atlanta for practices and games and money spent to make it happen will be rewarded on Wednesday when the 6-foot-6 versatile forward inks his name with the Shockers.
But the tears might start falling when he thinks of his uncle, Craig Jackson, his No. 1 fan who used to drive anywhere in the country just to see his nephew play basketball. His uncle died last Friday in Atlanta, at age 56, from the coronavirus.
“The rest of my basketball career is dedicated to him,” Clarence Jackson said. “He was my biggest fan. He did anything he could do in his power to make sure my goals were accomplished. So now I am so motivated to make my basketball dream work. It’s pushed me to like another level.”
There was no head’s up, no warning for the family when they learned of the uncle’s passing. According to Jackson, his family didn’t even know he had COVID-19 when they received a call last Friday from a hospital in Atlanta informing them he had passed away.
“I heard my mom answer the phone and then a long, ‘No’ and a pause,” Jackson said. “It came out of nowhere. They said he had a fever one day and then the next day he died in the hospital. Nobody knew.”
The last week has been heartbreaking for the family, so Wednesday’s signing day will give them some much-needed celebration.
Jackson said it wouldn’t have been possible without his uncle’s help along the way. He was a talented musician, known around Atlanta by his stage name “I-Rock,” but he made sure to never let a gig get in the way of driving six hours to Florida to see a game at Polk State, where Jackson averaged 13.3 points and 8.2 points this past season as a freshman.
He even drove all the way to California one time to see Jackson play.
“That kind of support meant so much to me,” Jackson said. “I knew the one thing I could always count on was looking up in the stands and seeing my dad right there, then my uncle right beside him.
“I know even when I go to Wichita, he’ll still be with me spiritually. I’ll never feel like he’s not there right beside me.”
Jackson is one of six players expected to sign with Wichita State in the spring signing period. The others include Connecticut graduate transfer Alterique Gilbert, a 6-foot point guard, junior-college transfer Craig Porter, a 6-1 combo guard and three freshmen: Ricky Council IV, a 6-5 wing from Durham, North Carolina; Chaunce Jenkins, a 6-4 guard from Newport News, Virginia; and Jaden Seymour, a 6-9 forward from Charlotte, North Carolina.
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