Darnell Jackson is a professional basketball player from the United States of America who plays as a forward. Jackson played college basketball at the University of Kansas where he struggled to get into the starting lineup. He broke through only in his senior year, in 2007-08, when Sasha Kaun graduated. He was a part of the team that went on to win the 2008 National Championships.
Jackson was a late starter in basketball and didn’t start until he was in the 9th grade. In his senior year at Kansas, he became the most improved player in the college after averaging 6.7 rebounds in his final year. This got him a lot of attention from NBA scouts, especially after he scored 25 points and grabbed 9 rebounds against Boston College. He was named as the co-winner of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week.
This was a pleasant turnaround after a controversy surrounding Jackson where he was said to have accepted money from a Kansas booster by the name of Don Davis, a friend of his family. This was a rough year for the lad who had already lost his grandmother to a drunk driver. Jackson began thumping his chest thrice after scoring, each time dedicating his effort to his grandmother, his mother and to Don Davis.
His exceptional shooting percentage as well as strong rebounding was instrumental in helping the Jayhawks win the National Championships.
Jackson was picked at 52nd overall in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Miami Heat. On the same day, he was traded out to the Cleveland Cavaliers who, incidentally, also got Sasha Kaun into the team as well for the season. Jackson was part of the Cavaliers for the Summer League and averaged 5.8 points with 5.4 rebounds. Named as part of the regular season roster, Jackson began his season by breaking his wrist and missed the first 13 games of the season.
He returned to the team in November but failed to make much impact and in February 2009, he was assigned to the Erie Bayhawks, the affiliate team for the Cavaliers, in the Developmental League. He played just one game with the Bayhawks where he score 24 points in a win over the Utah Flash.
