Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball at Baylor on October 10, 2025 at 2 p.m. (MST)
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2 p.m. (MST)
at Baylor
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Grand Canyon University Athletics
Photo by: Travis Neely
Insider: Jackson gets more action
2/27/2018 10:01:00 AM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro, Lopes Insider Blog
Junior makes impact after overcoming 5 surgeries
There were plenty of indicators in Saturday night's game of how Matt Jackson has progressed a long way from missing last season and sitting out practices at the start of this one.
The Grand Canyon junior played more of Saturday's win than he had in a game since 2015. He assisted on more plays than in any game since 2014. He grabbed more rebounds than he ever has in a GCU game.
But it was a miss that said more about where Jackson is now with an increasing role as the Lopes head into their Saturday regular-season finale and next week's Western Athletic Conference Basketball Tournament.
After giving GCU an eight-point lead on Utah Valley with less than eight minutes to play Saturday, Jackson rolled off a screen on the next possession, took a pass from Alessandro Lever and launched for the rim with UVU's Conner Toolson in front of him. The aggressive dunk attempt missed but the statement was not missed.
"Matt's going to be big for the rest of the year and next year," Lopes head coach Dan Majerle said. "He just looks better. He's lively. That dunk attempt was great. That's the old Matt. So the way he shoots the ball and how smart he is, that gives us another dimension out there, a guy who can spread the floor and shoot."
The 6-foot-8 reserve power forward is shooting 59 percent from the field in the past three games and averaging 8.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 20.7 minutes per game. Before that stretch, he was averaging 11.2 minutes and shooting 36 percent this season. He has blocked two shots in the past three games after blocking one shot previously.
"Personally, it's just good to be out there," Jackson said. "I've always considered myself a team guy. Never complained about minutes. I kept with it. My teammates have been encouraging me. My coaches have stuck with me. I'm just happy to be helping the team any way I can – scoring, rebounding or cheering on the bench."
The work by Jackson and GCU's athletic training staff has him moving so well that it is easy to forget he endured four hip surgeries and a back surgery over 12 months. He went from starting 11 games in 2015-16 to going 597 days without playing a GCU game.
Jackson still gets sore, especially after logging season-high minute totals off the bench in last week's wins against Seattle (21) and UVU (28). His five-assist, eight-rebound effort Saturday was key with Keonta Vernon drawing four fouls in seven minutes. Jackson had scored nine and 10 points in the previous two games.
"I've been through worse," Jackson said. "I'll keep battling away, working on my body and get ready for the next game."
Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.
The Grand Canyon junior played more of Saturday's win than he had in a game since 2015. He assisted on more plays than in any game since 2014. He grabbed more rebounds than he ever has in a GCU game.
But it was a miss that said more about where Jackson is now with an increasing role as the Lopes head into their Saturday regular-season finale and next week's Western Athletic Conference Basketball Tournament.
After giving GCU an eight-point lead on Utah Valley with less than eight minutes to play Saturday, Jackson rolled off a screen on the next possession, took a pass from Alessandro Lever and launched for the rim with UVU's Conner Toolson in front of him. The aggressive dunk attempt missed but the statement was not missed.
"Matt's going to be big for the rest of the year and next year," Lopes head coach Dan Majerle said. "He just looks better. He's lively. That dunk attempt was great. That's the old Matt. So the way he shoots the ball and how smart he is, that gives us another dimension out there, a guy who can spread the floor and shoot."
The 6-foot-8 reserve power forward is shooting 59 percent from the field in the past three games and averaging 8.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 20.7 minutes per game. Before that stretch, he was averaging 11.2 minutes and shooting 36 percent this season. He has blocked two shots in the past three games after blocking one shot previously.
"Personally, it's just good to be out there," Jackson said. "I've always considered myself a team guy. Never complained about minutes. I kept with it. My teammates have been encouraging me. My coaches have stuck with me. I'm just happy to be helping the team any way I can – scoring, rebounding or cheering on the bench."
The work by Jackson and GCU's athletic training staff has him moving so well that it is easy to forget he endured four hip surgeries and a back surgery over 12 months. He went from starting 11 games in 2015-16 to going 597 days without playing a GCU game.
Jackson still gets sore, especially after logging season-high minute totals off the bench in last week's wins against Seattle (21) and UVU (28). His five-assist, eight-rebound effort Saturday was key with Keonta Vernon drawing four fouls in seven minutes. Jackson had scored nine and 10 points in the previous two games.
"I've been through worse," Jackson said. "I'll keep battling away, working on my body and get ready for the next game."
Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
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