UConn men's basketball junior Andre Jackson's offense has been on the uptick: 'He's solved that puzzle'

NEW YORK — In the days prior to Saturday’s Garden party with St. John’s, Andre Jackson was “feeling like total (garbage),” per Dan Hurley. “He was kind of iffy (Saturday) morning,” the UConn men’s basketball coach reported. After the game, Jackson looked a bit wan and wasn’t feeling well enough to speak with the media. In between, Jackson hardly looked sick at all. In fact, the 6-foot-6 jumping jack played about as well as he has all season, bounding around the floor for five rebounds, three assists, two blocks and 15 points during a season-high 38 minutes in a 95-86 win over St. John’s. That point total matched the career-high for the junior wing – a career-high set two games earlier in a win over Seton Hall. “He’s figured it out,” Hurley noted. The book on how to guard Jackson has been out for a while now in Big East play. Originally authored last season by Creighton head coach Greg McDermott, the blueprint is to have Jackson’s defender sag off of him, inviting him to shoot 3-pointers while essentially turning every UConn offensive possession into a 4-on-5 when Jackson’s in the game. It’s worked pretty well at times. Jackson entered the game shooting just 25.8 percent from 3 and had missed his prior nine attempts. Meanwhile, teams have been able to crowd big men Adama Sanogo and Donovan Clingan in the lane while limiting UConn guards from driving to the hoop. St. John’s coach Mike Anderson either doesn’t watch game film and didn’t see the blueprint, or he watched Jackson’s performance against Seton Hall. Either way, he had guards A.J. Storr and Dylan Addae-Wusu guarding Jackson pretty tightly on Saturday. “They played him closer than the teams have been playing him,” Hurley acknowledged, “I think because of his effectiveness as a screener and getting to the dunker spot. I think he’s getting better with attacking the rim, too. So, I think teams are going to creep closer to him. That will allow him to get back into the ball-screen game, which is where he’s really at his best.” During UConn’s “forgettable” stretch of losing six of eight games between New Year’s Eve and Jan. 25, Jackson shot just 7-for-25 from 3 and averaged 6 points per game. Since the calendar flipped to February, Jackson has averaged 9.6 points per game and the Huskies have won five of six. “It means a lot,” point guard Tristen Newton said of Jackson's offensive uptick. “It shows the work he puts in every day, trying to help us out on and off the court. Him having the offensive success is really good for him, and for us. I like it. It helps his confidence, and it’s good for everybody.” “It only helps us and it only helps him,” Jordan Hawkins added. “It’s great seeing him play with a little more confidence.” Jackson was 5-for-6 from the floor on Saturday and even knocked down a 3-pointer, his first in five games. But no worries, he was still his acrobatic self as well, catching a pair of highlight-reel two-handed, alley-oop dunks from Newton and Hawkins. “It was a terrible pass,” Hawkins said of his lob. “He’s just Andre Jackson, so … When you’ve got a guy you can just throw the ball up in the air (to), it gives you momentum.” Jackson is still likely to face more lenient defense over the Huskies’ final two regular-season games and the Big East tournament. Hurley doesn’t seem to mind. “Andre’s figured out how to play against people that are playing a little bit soft,” the coach declared. “He’s solved that puzzle.” Jackson wasn’t feeling well enough to speak to the media after the game. For 38 minutes, he let his performance do all the talking during it. david.borges@hearstmediact.com @DaveBorges

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