Completed Event: Men's Basketball at Wyoming on December 20, 2025 , Win , 82, to, 70
M Basketball
at Wyoming
W 82-70
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Photo by: David Kadlubowski
Jackson brings action to GCU with improving game
6/8/2024 12:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro
Tarleton transfer closed last season strongly; Alaskan played juco ball in Tucson
Traivar Jackson improved from a late start in basketball to a junior college standout and a Division I rotation player, but he is making Grand Canyon his last college stop because he wants to be even better.
Jackson, a 6-foot-6 forward from Anchorage, Alaska, transferred to GCU this summer after playing one season at WAC runner-up Tarleton State. It is an Arizona return for the left-hander who starred for two seasons at Pima Community in Tucson.
"Traivar is an excellent work with a lot of upside," GCU head coach Bryce Drew said. "He has been coached very well, and it will be nice to be on the same team as him."
Jackson finished last season with his best basketball, posting his first three double-digit scoring games in consecutive Tarleton postseason games in the WAC Tournament and the CollegeInsider.com Tournament. Over the last five games of the season, Jackson averaged 10.2 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 18.4 minutes per game with 73% shooting from the field.
For the season, Jackson averaged 4.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 0.7 blocks and 0.5 steals in 14.6 minutes per game, but he still ranked sixth in the WAC for field goal percentage (57.8%) among players with at least 100 attempts. The reserve combo forward also tied for 15th in blocked shots in the conference.
"I got a little bit more physical," Jackson said of last season. "At Pima, I wasn't seeking contact. When I got my first practice at Tarleton, I was getting bulled around, pushed around and getting scored on a lot. I thought, 'Something's got to change.' My pride in defense, I've taken a lot more seriously. If someone scores on me, it won't happen again."
Jackson grew up playing baseball until the seventh grade, when he needed something more active and shifted to the sport that brought his father, Raynold, to Alaska. He posted a double-double when the Seawolves upset Wake Forest and then-freshman Tim Duncan in the 1993 Great Alaskan Shootout.
A family friend has recommended all three of Jackson's college stops, beginning with Pima, where he averaged 18.9 points for two seasons.
Like new teammate Makaih Williams, who transferred from WAC foe UT Arlington, Jackson arrives at GCU with a familiarity of what a game looks like at Global Credit Union Arena (his mother, Kristine, is a Global Credit Union employee). He played eight minutes in the Texans' January loss at GCU.
"Y'all are out here doing the best," Jackson said of the Havocs and Lope Nation's home environment. "I can't lie. These fans are some of the best in the country out of all the schools in D-I. I've never seen so many students. It's rocking every time you have a game here. Y'all bring it to 100. It's crazy. I've never seen anything like that."
With one season of eligibility remaining, Jackson is hoping to develop his ball-handling, shooting and faith.
"It's a chance to go to the NCAA tournament with all of the eyes of the whole country on you," Jackson said.
In the transfer portal, GCU also has added 6-foot-8 forward JaKobe Coles from TCU, 7-foot-1 center Dennis Evans from Louisville and 6-foot-2 guard Makaih Williams from UT Arlington.
Jackson, a 6-foot-6 forward from Anchorage, Alaska, transferred to GCU this summer after playing one season at WAC runner-up Tarleton State. It is an Arizona return for the left-hander who starred for two seasons at Pima Community in Tucson.
"Traivar is an excellent work with a lot of upside," GCU head coach Bryce Drew said. "He has been coached very well, and it will be nice to be on the same team as him."Jackson finished last season with his best basketball, posting his first three double-digit scoring games in consecutive Tarleton postseason games in the WAC Tournament and the CollegeInsider.com Tournament. Over the last five games of the season, Jackson averaged 10.2 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 18.4 minutes per game with 73% shooting from the field.
For the season, Jackson averaged 4.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 0.7 blocks and 0.5 steals in 14.6 minutes per game, but he still ranked sixth in the WAC for field goal percentage (57.8%) among players with at least 100 attempts. The reserve combo forward also tied for 15th in blocked shots in the conference.
"I got a little bit more physical," Jackson said of last season. "At Pima, I wasn't seeking contact. When I got my first practice at Tarleton, I was getting bulled around, pushed around and getting scored on a lot. I thought, 'Something's got to change.' My pride in defense, I've taken a lot more seriously. If someone scores on me, it won't happen again."
Jackson grew up playing baseball until the seventh grade, when he needed something more active and shifted to the sport that brought his father, Raynold, to Alaska. He posted a double-double when the Seawolves upset Wake Forest and then-freshman Tim Duncan in the 1993 Great Alaskan Shootout.A family friend has recommended all three of Jackson's college stops, beginning with Pima, where he averaged 18.9 points for two seasons.
Like new teammate Makaih Williams, who transferred from WAC foe UT Arlington, Jackson arrives at GCU with a familiarity of what a game looks like at Global Credit Union Arena (his mother, Kristine, is a Global Credit Union employee). He played eight minutes in the Texans' January loss at GCU.
"Y'all are out here doing the best," Jackson said of the Havocs and Lope Nation's home environment. "I can't lie. These fans are some of the best in the country out of all the schools in D-I. I've never seen so many students. It's rocking every time you have a game here. Y'all bring it to 100. It's crazy. I've never seen anything like that."
With one season of eligibility remaining, Jackson is hoping to develop his ball-handling, shooting and faith.
"It's a chance to go to the NCAA tournament with all of the eyes of the whole country on you," Jackson said.
In the transfer portal, GCU also has added 6-foot-8 forward JaKobe Coles from TCU, 7-foot-1 center Dennis Evans from Louisville and 6-foot-2 guard Makaih Williams from UT Arlington.
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