Infectious intensity

Lion's liveliness helps drive 14-4 Lawrence High

Kansas women's basketball freshman and former Lawrence High standout Tania Jackson will red-shirt this season.

Tania Jackson will be the first to admit it.

Her teammates and coach will back it up.

The energy and intensity the Lawrence High junior forward brings to the floor each night has a direct effect on how the rest of the team will play.

If Jackson is on – fiery, feeling good and flowing freely – it’s probably going to be a special game. But if she’s off – frustrated, foul-plagued, and even a little bit angry – it could signal the beginning of a long night.

“That’s what everyone says,” Jackson said. “My energy determines how the rest of the team plays. Some people might take my energy the wrong way, but that’s just the way I play. It’s just who I am. I have fun, I want to win and I want to help my team however I can. My energy is what makes me a unique player.”

Unique is a good word for it.

Jackson is the first to tell her teammates the good and the bad of any situation. During a recent road game, she lunged off the bench and met teammates on the court during a timeout to slap fives and praise the effort. All this while wearing one shoe. During other games, her icy stare, quiet murmuring and telling body language give teammates an idea of exactly where they stand with her at the moment.

Deciphering the difference between the two isn’t always easy. But her teammates have done a solid job thus far, if for no other reason than plenty of practice.

“I can tell the difference,” senior Danielle Bird said. “When she’s excited, she gets everyone else excited with her. When she’s mad, we pretty much just leave her alone. The team feeds off of her energy, and that’s what we like about Tania.”

Sophomore Cassie Potter also has become adept at reading Ms. Jackson. For Potter, all of the antics boil down to one simple conclusion.

“It’s emotion,” Potter said. “She’ll yell at you, but it’s encouragement to make you better. She plays like she loves the game.”

No doubt about it.

Even Jackson has learned how to tell the difference between good and bad energy, even if she hasn’t yet perfected the ways to harness it.

“Oh yeah,” she said. “I’ve discovered the difference. When I cheer my teammates on and get them fired up, that’s a good thing. When I yell and act mad, that’s not.”

As her second full season of varsity basketball nears its end, Jackson reflects on the long journey her high school career already has taken. From a young, immature, out-of-position sophomore in 2006-07 to a polished, more accountable, complete player in 2007-08, Jackson has seen her stock jump as high as her vertical leap – Jackson is perhaps the only female player in the Sunflower League who can jump up, grab the rim and pull it down.

She’s also one of the most important players on her team, and she knows it.

Her growth throughout the past two seasons hasn’t come solely in the skill department. Jackson also has grown as a person.

She and LHS coach Kristin Mallory have a relationship a lot like the one NBA star Allen Iverson and legendary coach Larry Brown had when both were with the Philadelphia 76ers. It’s based on respect, but doesn’t come without its moments of chaos confrontation.

Last week, at a post-practice Valentine’s Day party in which the Lions enjoyed pizza, shared candy and made construction-paper Valentines for each other, Jackson was one of four or five players who made one for Mallory. The message was simple: Thank you.

“That was genuine, something she didn’t have to do, and it meant a lot,” Mallory said. “I feel great satisfaction in knowing that our program has helped Tania grow and learn.”

Jackson’s first experience with organized basketball came in seventh grade as a member of the Eclipse. Until then, she had played ball only at recess and for fun. She had no desire to join a team and take the game serious. However, once she threw on that jersey and first started running an offense, she was hooked. She’s been playing ever since.

The former Central Junior High point guard, who stands 6-foot-2, struggled to make the transition to high school post player. She’s finally starting to feel comfortable with the position and even has started to polish some of her favorite moves.

“My turnaround spin move is nice,” Jackson said. “I don’t even know where that came from. I just started doing it in practice.”

Still, for all of her flare for theatrics on the offensive end – monster rebounds, post moves and stickbacks with the occasional three-pointer from the corner sprinkled in – Jackson takes the most pride in her defense.

“I like both (offense and defense), but I’m more confident in my defense,” she said.

It’s a confidence she might not have had in the past, and something she’s learned to love.

With one season remaining in her high school career and Division I colleges such as Missouri, Bradley and Creighton watching her every move, Jackson understands that every step she takes is precious.

“How I handle myself and how I control all of that energy is big,” Jackson said. “Every game counts toward my future.”

As far as Mallory sees it, the best is still ahead – both for Jackson and her team.

“Is she 100 times better at channeling all of that energy than she was last year? Yes,” Mallory said. “Do I expect her to be even 100 times better next year? Yes. She just expects so much of herself and works so hard to play that error-free, perfect game, and you just can’t. Most of the time she’s angry, she’s angry with herself. But when Tania plays well, we play better.”