Tayshaun Jackson is certainly a student of the game. And when he’s not learning, he’s a teacher of the game, too.
The Wildwood Catholic Academy junior is a star on the basketball court, and he has also become a mentor for younger students by helping coach the lower division team of fifth-through-eighth-graders at his school.
“I help them out whenever I have free time, and I go to their games,” said Jackson, a Woodbine resident. “I just like helping out and giving back to the kids and giving them the steps that I didn’t get when I was younger.”
Jackson is a success story on his own that younger players might find inspiring. As a freshman, he worked hard to make Wildwood Catholic’s roster and earned his way onto the court in the second game of the season, scoring five points. Unfortunately, Jackson broke his ankle in a practice later that week.
“I was going up for a rebound and came down the wrong way,” Jackson said. “I was out for more than a month.”
Luckily for Jackson, it was a clean break and no surgery or major rehabilitation was required. Rest was the doctor’s primary order, which provided a challenge for the active student.
“I would watch a lot of film and see what I could work on once I was able to get back on the court,” Jackson said. “I made sure to get all my schoolwork done and just be ready when I was able to get back.”
Jackson was able to rejoin his team after about six weeks and started contributing off the bench. It primed him for a strong sophomore season, when he not only contributed 140 points, 65 rebounds and 50 assists, but also became a leader on the court.
Wildwood Catholic coach Will Wareham took over the team last season and had unearthed a gem in his lineup that could help in several areas.
“I knew that he had the potential to impact the program because he’s such a good athlete, but he impacts in other ways,” Wareham said. “Intellectually, he’s super well-mannered, and he’s a hard worker. He’s that much better of a kid than he is a basketball player.”
It raised expectations for year three, and Jackson is off to a great start in the preseason.
“Tayshaun put a ton of work in over the summer,” Wareham said. “If you saw what he looked like physically last year compared to this year, it’s like a total transformation. Over Thanksgiving break, the state doesn’t allow us to practice as a team, but Tayshaun was running on his own two miles each day.”
And he still puts in work with the younger kids. “I just thought in my free time after practice, why not give back?” Jackson said. “I just really wanted to help out the younger kids. I try to talk to them and give them motivation before the game, too.”
Wildwood Catholic’s high school team had a rebuilding season last year as the Crusaders went 9-18. They’ll look to bounce back with a balanced attack. Jackson will surely see an even larger role.
“I’m looking to be a little more aggressive on offense but still have a leadership role and really be vocal with my teammates,” Jackson said. “I want to take that next step for this team and show that we really can compete with any team in the Cape-Athletic League.”
Jackson seems like the perfect candidate to turn to as a player, or as a coach.
“He’s very, very dedicated and he’s a great kid,” Wareham said. “He’s putting himself in position to be the face of Wildwood Catholic, giving back to the grammar school. He’s a great student, and I think every teacher in the school knows him and they all love him.”
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