By KEN HORNACK
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- There are student-athletes who come to Bethune-Cookman University from foreign countries. Others are enticed by the warm weather and the prospect of spending winter months in a less harsh climate than the one to which they are accustomed.
Malik Jackson could fall into the latter category. But the reason why he's part of the Wildcats men's basketball team is not a what but a who – namely, assistant coach Montez Robinson.
When the 6-foot-6 guard took a trip to Atlanta after his senior year of high school ball in New York, he crossed paths with Robinson, who was in the process of helping Kennesaw State's program go from Division II to Division I status. Circumstances intervened which kept Jackson from joining him there, but before heading off to play at the junior college level at Miami-Dade in 2011, he made a promise.
“I told him I was going to stay with him wherever he went,” Jackson said.
So after one of Gravelle Craig's first hires upon being named B-CU's head coach was Robinson, Jackson knew where he saw his future headed. Almost as importantly, Robinson came with the stamp of approval from Jackson's mother, Darlene Aiken.
“He's like an uncle to me,” he said. “My mom loves him. She trusts him.”
Jackson is one of the Wildcats' most dependable shooters from 3-point territory. That skill was most evident last season when he knocked down six long-range shots against North Carolina A&T on his way to a breakout 20-point performance.
But if he's going to average more than 13 minutes a game as a senior, he'll need to show improvement at the other end of the floor.
“I'd like to continue with my 3-point shooting,” Jackson said. “But I've got to step up my defense if we're going to win. I've got to become an all-around player.”
The combination of some of the longest arms of any Wildcat and a willingness to put in the time during footwork drills should make Jackson more of a factor in coming up with steals and blocked shots.
“Defense is all about just wanting to play defense, hard work, toughness,” he said. “So you've just to want to play it. There's no talent in playing defense. It's just wanting to do it.”
The native of Central Islip, N.Y., might be looking forward to the start of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference portion of the schedule more than anyone on the Wildcats. B-CU's first two MEAC games in early December are at Norfolk State and Hampton, meaning Jackson's parents could be in attendance for the second year in a row.
The two of them were also in the crowd when the Wildcats played at Pittsburgh early last season.
“They're very supportive,” Jackson said. “They always love to come watch me play, and I love it when they come watch me play.”
