SOONER STAR

Women's Basketball, Apr 2005 by Dickens, Jamie

Oklahoma's Dionnah Jackson has developed into a national force.

Dionnah Jackson couldn't run, jump, shoot or rebound following the 2002-03 season.

But she still managed to find a way to improve her game, even though all she could do was sit on the sidelines and watch her teammates play.

While recovering from post-season arthroscopic knee surgery, Oklahoma's quiet 5'9'' guard realized the only thing she could do for her team while she rehabbed was lend her vocal support.

From her seat at scrimmages and pick-up games, Jackson shouted encouragement and praise as well as criticism and motivation to her Sooner teammates. Over the course of that off-season, the Sooners learned to listen for her voice, and Jackson learned little by little how to fire up her team.

Now a senior, Jackson, last year's Big XII tournament MVP, has been named a preseason Ail-American and is a contender for the Wooden Award.

Obviously she isn't just leading the cheering section anymore. This season, Jackson is leading the Sooners in 12 of 19 categories, including points per game (14.5), assists, steals, defensive rebounds and blocked shots.

"I love getting my team into it and leading by example" said Jackson. "You can't get on someone if you're not doing things perfectly yourself, so that forces me to go out and try do things right every day."

Jackson's measuring stick for success was set high right away as a freshman at OU. She still remembers the exhilaration on the faces of her veteran teammates as they advanced past Colorado and into the Final Four in 2002.

"As a freshman I looked at how happy the seniors were, and thought, 'Wow, they are so excited' and I didn't really know how big a deal it was then," said Jackson.

The following year as a sophomore, Jackson found herself thrust into the spotlight early when two of her elder teammates suffered serious ACL injuries in the same day. Shortly after, the Sooners learned they had lost two senior floor leaders for the season. Jackson answered the call to take the helm and stepped up to score 21 points, catapulting OU past then 11th ranked North Carolina.

"She plays with a lot of confidence," said OU coach Sherri Coale. "She seems like she's two steps faster than everyone on the floor. "

Jackson, who has always considered herself a defensive player at heart, has steadily evolved into an offensive threat over her career as well. This season against Tulsa, she racked up 15 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for only the second triple-double in Oklahoma history and was named the Big XII Player of the Week.

"I'll tell you what, 'D' has another gear," said Coale. "Whether it's sprinting in front of the passing lanes, running through the passing lanes, or just getting the rebound and putting it on the floor, she immediately distances herself from the crowd."

And while Jackson is more than happy to distance herself from defenders, it is her distance from her very close-knit family that she calls one of the hardest things she's had to overcome at Oklahoma.

A native of St Louis, Mo., Jackson initially struggled with bouts of homesickness at OU. Norman is an eight-hour drive from St. Louis, where her mother, Barbara, and sister, LaTonya, still live, and where her number 35 jersey was just retired during "Dionnah Jackson Day" at Parkway High School.

"When I got here, I was so homesick, but the town and my teammates really took me in," said Jackson. "I'm so much happier now and I wouldn't want to be any place else."