Amber Jackson brings ‘passion,’ post presence to Hoosier lineup

The tattoo rests on the upper part of her right arm. The Chinese letters combine to spell out “passion.” \nIf junior Amber Jackson is ever dogging it in practice or lagging a step behind in a game, she need not wait for words of encouragement from her coaches or teammates. A simple look at the tattoo should give her all the motivation she needs. \nAfter transferring from San Jose State, Jackson hopes the tattoo will personify her play on the court for her new team. \n“Passion,” she said. “That’s what I hope to bring to the team.”\nIt won’t just be passion, however, that Jackson adds to this Hoosier team. She has plenty of skill and should be a force underneath the basket. \nIn her sophomore season at San Jose State, Jackson led the Western Athletic Conference in scoring and rebounding, averaging 17.6 points and 9.8 rebounds per game, and was a first team all-WAC performer.\n“She’s a really dangerous player down low,” IU coach Felisha Legette-Jack said. “If you double down on her she’ll find the open teammate, but you can’t have one player on her or she’ll beat you with a hook shot or a reverse pivot.”\nOn a team with little depth at the forward position, Jackson is welcoming the role of playing in the paint.\n“I can bring that ability to rebound and post up hard,” she said. “I just give us another big body down low.”\nOther players on the team are already noticing the benefits of Jackson’s presence inside.\n“In high school I didn’t have post players, so it’s really cool that someone is actually catching my passes now,” freshman guard Whitney Lindsay said of Jackson. “I never got to experience that before.”\nAfter deciding to transfer, Jackson said she looked at a few schools, but none of them matched what IU had to offer. \n“I was really impressed with the history and energy,” she said of the IU program. “There is a great outlook on the future. The girls were all great and it was the right fit academically.”\nThe transition to the Big Ten could be tough on Jackson, but Legette-Jack said she believes Jackson will be ready. \n“She comes from a mid-major conference where she was second in the nation in shooting percentage,” Legette-Jack said. “It won’t be easy, but I don’t think she’ll be nervous about it. I think she can take that next step.”