Lewis Jackson Will Return

By LEROY BRIDGES
H&R Staff Writer
When Lewis Jackson arrived in Champaign on Monday he got a weird feeling.
Perhaps it's because he won't see the court against the Illini in his home state tonight.
Jackson's homecoming this year is far different from last year's when Jackson entered as fulltime starter for the nationally ranked Boilers. Now, he's a fulltime cheerleader before he gets cleared to settle Purdue down at the point guard spot after a foot injury in early November.
"You definitely get a new perspective from the bench," Jackson said. "The process is going real well, ahead of schedule," Jackson said about recovery.
"But I am ready to get back."
It appears that will be sooner rather than later. Jackson is back to wearing two shoes for the most part after donning a protective boot for weeks.
And Jackson's hoping to never wear the boot again after going to the doctor on Wednesday. That's when he's likely to hear the words "You can start running."
"Basketball is important to Lewis," Purdue coach Matt Painter said. "When that is taken away, it crushes you. It crushed him.
"When somebody gets injured, and you have such high expectations after having a great freshman year like he did, you want to improve and have a better sophomore year."
With Jackson's sophomore year more than half gone, he still wants to get back on the floor. He hasn't thought much about the possibility of sitting out the rest of the season with a medical redshirt. He likes the idea of a full recovery by the end of January and then helping the team that's kept him involved in February.
That would get him back in time for the second matchup with Illinois.
"With the group of guys and all the people I have met outside of basketball, it makes you appreciate what Purdue gives you," Jackson said.
"For that, I will be back to help my team."
Considering the Boilers (14-3) are starting to show signs of needing a speedy point guard, that's good news for Painter. He's been pleased with the serious approach Jackson had with his academics while out and is ready to have his point guard back.
"His mom has done an excellent job raising him," Painter said. "Lew's done a great job and hopefully he continues to do that."
Jackson never thought his left foot would generate so much attention.
But for the past two months, that's all people want to talk about with the Purdue sophomore.
By now, everyone has heard about his injury, but few have been told what exactly happened to the Eisenhower product. So when Jackson showed up at the Decatur Turkey Tournament this year, he was hounded by inquiring minds.
"I might not have known how many people appreciated watching me play," Jackson said about people asking for updates on his foot. "People actually care about you. I appreciate all the support.
"I am playing for myself, but for other people, too."
Jackson's outlook on the injury hasn't always been so positive thanks in part to the unfortunate timing. Jackson was a day away from serving his third and final game of a suspension after a rocky offseason when it happened.
It was a Nov. 12 practice that he won't soon forget.
Senior teammate Chris Kramer went up to block his shot and landed on Jackson's foot. The diagnosis was a Lisfranc injury, which is caused by trauma to the top of the foot. The injury is uncommon, but it sidelined the Colts' Dwight Freeney for the final seven games of the 2007 season.
In Jackson's case, it was a torn ligament. If he didn't get it surgically repaired, every time he walked it would cause more damage. So, the following Tuesday (Nov. 17), Jackson went under the knife.
"Honestly, there are times you break down and wonder why this happened," Jackson said.
Thankfully, his mom, Zinda Jackson-Chargois, has been his savior.
From the beginning, Zinda has kept a positive outlook and helped her son stay on track emotionally. Sure, she wants her son to play the game he loves, but she just wants her baby healthy.
"I always tell him things happen for a reason," Zinda said. "I think it opens up his eyes that he really needs to get his education."
For the most part, that's what Lewis has been doing during recovery. He's been able to focus on school and spend time with his family during the holidays. He even connected with former Eisenhower teammate Jeremy Robinson, who's also in a state of transition after leaving Illinois State.
"We got to spend a lot of time together," Lewis said. "It's tough because we're both so competitive. Once you've been doing what you do and then you're not, it's a process of understanding how lucky we are to get to play."
Zinda's not so sure her son would have seen things that way a year ago. Being away from home and under the guidance of Purdue's coaching staff has matured Jackson.
"He has grown up," said Zinda, who talks to Lewis daily. "He's taken the injury much better than I thought he would."
lbridges@herald-review.com|421-6970

Published in the Herald & Review in January 2010.

Waiting For Attention

ROBINSON — It’s hard to average almost 20 points a game and go unnoticed.
Yet, when people talk about the area’s best players, they often forget about Robinson’s Ben Jones.
Colleges, too, don’t know much about the 6-foot shooting guard.
Jones has heard from only a few colleges — mostly Division II and junior colleges — despite his vital role on one of the state’s best Class 2A teams. Considering Jones’ ability to make a jump shot on demand and the constant praise from Robinson coach Bob Coffman, it’s a surprise more people aren’t packing Robinson’s gym to get a look at him play.
“Others may overlook him, but we don’t,” Coffman said. “We all know how valuable he is to our success. Beyond our basketball family some people may not quite know about him, but they should.”
Outsiders know all about Jones’ teammate, 7-foot Meyers Leonard. Leonard’s been a household name since being recruited to play for Illinois early in his high school career. What people forget is that Jones led Robinson in scoring a season ago and is the team’s leading scorer this year at 19.9 points a game.
“I know my role,” Jones said about playing with Leonard. “I am definitely a scorer. What’s hard is not having any publicity because I just want people to know I can play.”
Leonard has tried to help his teammate get the word out. When they played in Champaign against Rock Island and high-Division I recruit Chasson Randle back in early December, Leonard knew it was the perfect opportunity for Jones to get noticed.
“I told him for this game, he should really go at (Rock Island) and put himself on the map,” Leonard said after the game. “I think he really did. (Ben’s) a solid player.
“This is a bigger stage playing against Chasson and there are some scouts here. It was a good opportunity for him and he did pretty well.”
Robinson lost 58-53, but Jones impressed.
He led the Maroons with 17 points and six rebounds and defended Randle well. He also proved he could get his jumper off on the inch taller Randle who’s being recruited by Illinois and slew of other big schools.
“I think if I was two or three inches taller, I would be getting some Division I calls,” Jones said. “But I’ve been really working on my jumping.”
Jones has been able to dunk for a while, but it’s become easier with the work he’s done to improve his vertical.
It’s no surprise to Coffman that Jones has put that work in. Jones’ work ethic has always been a bright spot and it’s led to him being the strongest guy on the team.
Jones said he leads the squad in every lift in the weight room, benching 245 pounds (Leonard benches 235), power cleaning 250 and dead lifting 450.
“That’s one of my strong points — lifting,” Jones said. “Meyers has been catching me, though. We both push each other a lot in the weight room."
Jones’ strength was one of those characteristics that impressed Coffman four years ago.
Combine that with his ability to rebound and get to the rim and there wasn’t much missing from Jones’ game. Thus, he’s been a three-year starter for Coffman and reached the 1,000-point plateau as junior.
What’s left for Jones and Leonard is to lead Robinson (10-3) to its first-ever state title. And with it will come more exposure for Jones and possibly more scholarship offers.
“That would be huge,” Jones said about getting to state. “I have always wanted to go to state and that could translate to a scholarship.”
Until then, Jones will continue to work hard and hope someone sees that being a 6-foot shooting guard doesn’t matter.

lbridges@herald-review.com|421-6970

Published in the Herald & Review in January 2010.

Argenta Ready For Success

ARGENTA — Success for Argenta-Oreana’s girls basketball team isn’t a common occurrence.
The last time the Bombers finished with a winning record came before most of the girls on the team were born. Sixteen years ago, they finished 21-6 under coach Bill Roberts.
Since then, the girls team has been an after thought to a successful baseball program and the occasional 10-win football team. But 10 games into this season, it looks like the Bombers are ready for another winning season.
After losing the final 11 games of the season in the spring, Argenta is 7-3 under first-year coach Tim Allen. And Allen’s team has some credible wins. Thanks to some team chemistry, added height and possibly the area’s best freshman — Kandie Bloch — the Bombers have wins against Warrensburg-Latham and Cerro Gordo. The team’s losses came against three of the Okaw’s best teams, Tolono Unity, St. Teresa and Central A&M.
“It feels great because before it wasn’t that much fun and now I enjoy going to practice,” senior guard Jenna Allen, who is Tim’s daughter, said about the team’s impressive start.
As the junior varsity coach last season, Tim knew the players he was inheriting and he was optimistic even after they went 5-20 last year.
He honestly thought a winning record was possible, especially with three vital additions to the team. Tim was able to talk Taylor Brunner and Hannah Millington — both volleyball players — into joining the team, which gave the Bombers much needed height.
“Last year we were short, but we took care of that and Taylor’s doing a great job with the minutes she’s getting,” Tim said. “I knew the talent we had. I knew with some hard work, this could be a good team.”
A year ago, Argenta had only one player taller than 5-foot-10. This year, Tim has three, one of whom is Bloch. In 10 games this year, Bloch, a 6-foot freshman, has seven double-doubles and is averaging more than 15 points and 11 rebounds a game.
“She has a nose for the basket,” Tim said. “When she puts the ball on the floor her intent is to score. She’s done a great job of scoring and rebounding for us.”
Bloch played one game on JV and scored 25 points before Tim moved her to varsity. In her first varsity game of her career, she had eight points and seven rebounds off the bench. She’s started every game since that 38-24 win against Arcola and in the team’s eighth game of the season she had 27 and 10 against Warrensburg.
“Last year was good, but it’s just different in high school,” Bloch said about succeeding as a basketball player. “It’s been a success for me so far.”
Bloch was a household name for Argenta girls basketball during the last winning season in 1993. That’s because Kandie’s aunt Karen was one of the area’s best players. She helped the Bombers to a regional title and was the Champaign News-Gazette Player of the Year.
“She has a lot of potential for sure,” Jenna said about Kandie. “She needs to get a little tougher, but us seniors are helping her with that and that will come over time.”
It’s not a surprise that the Jenna and the Bombers are enjoying the early-season success. Jenna’s been a part of only eight wins in the past two seasons combined, including back-to-back winless conference seasons in the Okaw. After losing to Central A&M 40-32 on Monday, Argenta is still near the top in the conference at 3-2.
“I told them, ‘I know how to coach the game and I know how to teach it, but I can’t do it all myself,’ ” Tim said. “ ‘I believe in you. You just have to believe in yourselves.’ ”
Through 10 games, Tim’s team clearly believes in themselves.
lbridges@herald-review.com|421-6970

Published in the Herald & Review in December 2009.

A Journey Of Yards And Years