Brittney Jackson’s patience was finally rewarded — just about when it was running out.
It was getting harder and harder for the Nazareth senior guard to keep the faith that a college hoops scholarship was going to come her way. Schools like Rider and St. Peter’s were interested, but like many others they went with other players or ended up not needing a point guard.
Her peers kept asking where she was heading. Her answer was always, “I don’t know yet.”
“My parents, my mom were really worried about everything, and I was more worried than her,” Jackson said.
Her break came when former Canisius assistant Tara Fleming joined the staff of first-year Detroit University coach Bernard Scott. Fleming was a fan of Jackson at her previous stop, but the Golden Griffins didn’t need a point guard. Detroit did. Fleming remembered Jackson, got in touch with her and everything fell into place.
“We are elated,” Nazareth coach Ron Kelley said. “I’m just happy there is a home for her.”
Jackson fell in love with the school and the staff on her visit and signed a National Letter of Intent with the Titans of the Horizon League earlier this month. Jackson was happy to find a place that made bringing her in a priority, and gave her a chance to play right away.
“The coaching staff accepted me as if I was already playing on the team,” Jackson said. “They just made me feel at home, especially the players. They made be feel like I was wanted.”
She said jumping to different travel teams last summer might have hurt her visibility with coaches. Kelley said that Jackson isn’t a flashy player and her contributions don’t always stand out as much as others.
Nazareth graduated five Division I scholarship players two years ago, and this season it watched players like Niya Johnson, Shanix Heinz, and Ericka Russell step into star roles. Jackson’s impact on their development — and the Lady Kingsmen winning the state Federation Class A title — wasn’t lost on him.
“She was a great leader for us this year, a fantastic communicator,” Kelley said. “Her jump shot got a lot better. She played the real point guard position for us. It wasn’t flashy. It wasn’t spectacular, but she did a great job for us.”
He can see her being the same type of player at the next level for a Detroit program looking to rebuild. Jackson can be a versatile piece for the Titans. Jackson heads there with a small chip on her shoulder, motivated to prove herself not only to her new team, but to the programs who passed on her.
In the meantime, Jackson is enjoying the fruits of her hard work. She finally has a Division I scholarship, a home for the future, and more recently her high school diploma — making her aggravating wait seem like a distant memory.
“I’ve been really happy these last two weeks,” Jackson said. “I feel like I haven’t been mad at all.”
