TheCatsDomain.Com Message Boards: Getting to know the new guy: Isaiah Jackson

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Posted by catmandoo (Member # 1284) on 08-06-2020, 03:13 PM:

Mike Faletti will never forget his first memory of Isaiah Jackson.

It was the summer of 2016 and after spending years with the University of Detroit coaching staff, Faletti had transitioned back into the grassroots game. He had taken a role with “The Family” a prominent Detroit area AAU team, which lists current Charlotte Hornet Miles Bridges and two-time All-American Cassius Winston among its alumni.

Still, that day wasn’t about all the program’s past stars, but instead on an eighth grader whose tape he watched that afternoon. The kid was tall and skinny. But he had skills that jumped off the video – both literally and figuratively.

The kid’s name was Isaiah Jackson.

“I was obviously very impressed with his highlight tape,” Faletti remembered. “He was obviously very athletic, very long in ninth grade. That really jumped out to me.”

Even four years ago those skills stood out to Faletti, and my hunch is that they’ve probably stood out to every Kentucky fan who has watched Jackson’s highlight tapes since he committed back in November. Jackson is crazy athletic. He plays with a great motor. And he is an elite rim protector.

And as it turns out, it’s those skills which could largely define Kentucky’s upcoming season.

Look, nobody wants to talk about the elephant in the room, but there is a chance Olivier Sarr won’t be eligible whenever Kentucky takes the court for their season opener. Admittedly, John Calipari is confident that Sarr will eventually get a waiver to play right away, but with the NCAA, you just never know.

Which is why Jackson is so important to this team.

If Sarr is eligible, then Jackson is a luxury, a secondary big, who can play with reckless abandon in a number of different roles. He can either alongside Sarr, as his back-up, or likely in both roles. Should the two play together, they would be the most formidable shot blocking tandem in college hoops.

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