Jackson has been a professional basketball player overseas since the fall after she graduated from Miami University in 2008. She was such a success while playing for a club team in Armenia this past winter that she was invited to play for the Armenian National Team in the European Championships.
To do that, she had to get dual citizenship.
“I played there in January,” said Jackson, who ran her own youth hoops skills camp at Wittenberg University earlier this month. “Then before I left, they said they are going to be participating in the European Championships. And they had one passport they could give (to a non-Armenian player).
“At first, I was kind of hesitant. But I talked with my agent, and we decided it would be a great opportunity to play for someone’s country.”
What was it like to represent a country other than your own?
“Basketball is basketball,” said Jackson. “The love they showed me playing for their country was so uplifting. They treated me like I was Armenian. They were very kind and generous and helpful.
“It was just a great all-around experience.”
She responded by averaging a team-leading 21 points per game. But she gained more from the experience that the Armenians did.
“Who would have ever thought when I was in third grade that it would take me so many places, and give me so many different opportunities?” she said. “It has been such a blessing to me.”
Not exactly a her WNBA dream, though.
“When I was a kid, my dream was to play on the highest level I could,” she said. “After I found out there was an WNBA, that was my dream. But when they released me, I thought, ‘At least I got an opportunity to see how it was.’
“It definitely gave me hope and inspired me. I saw that I can play with these guys. I mean, I was on the same court with Lisa Leslie.”
With the growth came maturity.
“It just made me mature as a person,” she said. “I’m a really spiritual person and it helped me become closer to God.”
She’s not sure what her future holds. But for now, it’ll include the basketball court.
“I can’t really put a number of years on it,” she said. “If God is willing, and I still love the game, I’ll keep playing. Once the love is gone, and I can’t dribble and can’t play with the best players, then I’ll stop.”
And the WNBA?
“It’s there (in the back of her mind),” Jackson admitted. “But I’m not dwelling on it. I’m not going to be disappointed if it doesn’t happen. I got a taste of it. If get there, I’m going take advantage of it. But If I don’t, it’s OK. Because I’m living out my hoops dreams overseas.
“I thank God every day for the opportunities he’s given me.”
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