COLORADO SPRINGS
— Reggie Jackson’s shooting range begins when he steps out of Palmer’s locker room.
And that’s just at home.
It is rumored it extends near the bus for road games.
Big shooter, the Terror . . . L-O-O-O-N-G.
He may cast the longest shadow over Colorado, a Boston College-bound senior guard mainly responsible for leading Palmer to the only undefeated record in Class 5A boys basketball, 17-0 overall, and in firm command of the Colorado Springs Metro League at 12-0.
The straw that stirs the Terrors, Jackson wants more.
“So far, we’ve been playing well enough to get by and it feels good,” he said, “but we have to get better. It’s open this year.”
Yes, it is. Palmer helps put the P in parity in 2007-08 5A boys. So many big-school teams legitimately eyeing next month’s championship, so few that will make it into the serious rounds.
The Terrors’ bid rests with Jackson heading a game, athletic rotation. It’s not a reach they can match their 1999-2000 title group that finished undefeated (24-0). Provided Palmer runs the rest of the regular-season table, it would require a record 28-0 mark (the number of games increased four years ago).
Not coincidently, the most recent undefeated big-school teams, East, 24-0 in 2003-04, and George Washington, 23-0 in 1992-93, were led by top-of-the-line individuals — Sean Ogirri and Chauncey Billups, respectively.
It’s too far into the future for Jackson to ponder as he realizes looking ahead in this season’s bracket would be killer.
But his performance over nine weeks has been watchable. The boisterous Jackson, who also uses “Yes, sir,” and “No, sir,” regularly, has scored a 5A-leading 447 points, a 26.3 average. Over the past seven games, he has averaged 28 points, including pouring in a season-high 42 against Air Academy.
And he plays to the crowd as well as to his teammates.
“He’s got a lot of character, you know what I mean, a lot of personality,” Terrors coach Jim Grantz said. “I know for some people, it maybe rubs them wrong, but he’s the kind of guy that when he’s on your team, he’s your favorite player. When he’s not on your team, it’s hard to like him. But I’ll take as many Reggies as I can get. I know you don’t get that many.”
He’s also the surest go-to guy in the state. He’s a big shot who wants the big shots, and he knows he’ll get them, from the parking lot, if necessary.
“I like to work on the long game,” Jackson said. “I think I’ve gotten better at it each year.”
He has made 44 3-pointers this season, not that many with his toes near the line.
When you’re rangy, so’s your shot selection. Not someone to be challenged in H-O-R-S-E, the long-armed Jackson has sprouted to 6-feet-4 and gained 35 pounds from a season ago (now 195). Flicking it from 25 feet — or more — hasn’t been a problem.
“I have a lot more confidence with it,” Jackson said.
He was big Tuesday in the second of two regular-season showdowns against city foe Doherty with 32 points, five 3-pointers. On Friday, he scorched Sand Creek, which earlier pushed the Terrors to overtime, by scoring 35 of his team’s 66.
Not bad for the son of a military man who settled here in sixth grade and will join Poudre’s Dallas Elmore as Eagles freshmen next season, a couple of unlikely recruits from the Rocky Mountains headed east.
But first, Jackson craves a league title as the next step.
“We have a chance for it,” he said. “If we can just focus on playing each game . . . if we can continue we’ll do good things.”
And Jackson may end up prominently on the perch of Colorado’s top schoolboys.
“He’s as good as I’ve ever had here,” Grantz said. “I played at Doherty in the ’80s and I saw Gene Edwards (Wasson) and Sherlock Holmes (Mitchell), some of the great players. I’ll take Reg . . . I get to coach him and every time I do, it’s great. And I know it won’t be much longer and he’ll be gone. I’m enjoying it while he’s here.”
