Unlimited Potential

Women's Basketball, Oct 2004 by Miazga, Mike

Reigning WNBA MVP Jackson has established herself as a dominant force in the game.

Lauren Jackson's talent on the basketball court rivals that of her modesty.

Both come in immense doses.

When asked if she considers herself the best player in the WNBA, Jackson quickly defused the question.

"I don't think so," said Jackson during an off-day recently in Houston where her Seattle Storm team was preparing to play the Comets. "I can be a much better player. I've got a long ways to go."

Don't try telling that to the rest of the league. They aren't buying it.

Jackson, the reigning WNBA MVP thanks to a breakout 2003 season that saw her average career highs in points (21.2 per game) and rebounds (9.3 per game), has picked up right where she left off in 2003.

Heading into the Olympic break, Jackson, who competed in her second Olympics for Australia recently, was again leading the league in scoring (20.6 ppg), while adding a new wrinkle by also topping the loop in three-point percentage (that's not a typo).

Jackson, the first international player and the youngest player to win the MVP award, brought a streak of 78-straight double digit scoring games into the Olympic break (second longest streak in league history).

"There is not a better player in the league," Seattle coach Anne Donovan emphatically stated. "Everything we do is built around Lauren. She not only makes herself stellar offensively, but she also creates. It's hard to say that she keeps getting better, but she does. She's an international superstar."

What has got the collective jaws dropping this season is the fact that while the 6'5" Jackson is still a force under the basket, she has now cemented herself as a bona fide perimeter threat as evidenced by the fact she was leading the league in three-point percentage (.474) at the break. In her previous three years, Jackson had shot .310, .350 and .312 from beyond the line. Her 46 three-pointers at the break were already a single-season career-best.

"I haven't done anything out of the usual," said Jackson, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2001 WNBA Draft. "I guess I have a lot more confidence from the three-point line, but I still have games where I miss all of them. I just do my job and go out there and play. I don't think I am any different than any of the other players in the league."

Oh yes she is. That added dimension to her game has made the 23-year-old Albury, Australia native doubly dangerous as an individual player and has helped an improved Storm team to become a legitimate contender in the Western Conference.

"Lauren is 6'5'' and leading the league in three-point shooting and she's deadly inside," said Donovan. "She can take the opposing team's 'four' and 'five' out to the three-point line and they have to step out there and guard her. It makes my job easier coaching the MVP and now there are great players in there that complement her."

Donovan has also noticed a trait in Jackson that goes beyond just points, rebounds and three-point percentages.

"There are no words for Lauren Jackson, her passion for this game," said Donovan. "She is the MVP of this league and she will remain the MVP of this league because of what drives her. She has a tremendous skill level, but it's what drives her that sets her apart. It's contagious for other players."

Storm guard Sue Bird, a 2004 United States Olympian, has been right there watching Jackson develop into the elite player she is.

"When she is on fire, you really want to feed her because she's like a machine," said Bird. "When she's able to score several times in a row, she smells blood and gets after it. When she gets hot, you have to go to her. She makes some unbelievable shots even when she gets fouled. To be honest, I don't think there is anybody in the league that can guard her."

If anything, Jackson says she has noticed an improvement in her post play.

"My post play has definitely improved," said Jackson, who enjoys surfing in her spare time. "Anne has pushed me and helped me out a lot with that. I've probably gotten a lot stronger the last couple of years. When I was younger, I couldn't hold my own in the post. Now, I can get in there and play with the bigger and stronger people. Before, battling on the boards with people when you are 6'5'' and 160 pounds, it's tough to do that for 40 minutes."

Then surely, some sort of massive workout regimen must have been employed?

"Nothing. I just grew up," deadpanned Jackson. "I was 19 when I came here. When you get older, you get stronger. I'm turning into a woman. I'm getting hips-that's what happened."

Looking back, Jackson admits her sojourn to the United States at such a young age (19) was definitely a wake-up call.

"It was a huge shock," said Jackson, who mentioned people driving on the "wrong side of the road" and more coffee shops as the two biggest differences between her native Australia and the U.S.

"Leaving my family behind was very scary. I had to grow up quick. But being so young and playing in this league, I'm glad I did it because it's been the best experience in my life."