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Michigan basketball’s Zeb Jackson is showing signs of progress

Chris Balasby:Chris Balas•12/10/21•

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Michigan basketball's game with Michigan State has been postponed. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Michigan has had issues in the backcourt this year, but all sophomore Zeb Jackson could do was watch and wait. The frustrated combo guard was coming off an illness that set him back significantly, and he struggled to watch his teammates suffer through some tough losses without him. 

Head coach Juwan Howard got his second-year guard back for U-M’s trip to Las Vegas, but Jackson was still working his way back. He played a bit in a win against San Diego State and looked rusty, but he shook it off in Tuesday night’s 102-67 victory at Nebraska. 

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Jackson quickly contributed to five points with a nice drive and dish and a three-pointer. He later scored on a nice drive and lay-in, finishing with five points and five rebounds. 

It was a good first step for a kid who had patiently waited his turn since falling ill two weeks before the opener against Buffalo.

“It sucked. I had to be out for a little bit,” he said. “Honestly, the setback was more mental than it was physical. The physical part … I’m a hard worker, so it didn’t seem so bad. But mentally, it was definitely hard.

“It was definitely frustrating, but stuff happens. Stuff is only good or bad if you make it good or bad. Honestly, everything could just be a lesson to grow. So, I just took it as a lesson to grow making sure I was there and present every day in practice, cheering my teammates on. Whatever happens after that, for me, just happens.”

Michigan doctors cleared Jackson to play before the Wolverines’ trip to Las Vegas and games with UNLV and Arizona. Still, he wasn’t in game shape. He spent much of his time working on his conditioning and getting his legs back. 

He was never alone, he added. Teammates and coaches constantly checked on him, So did former Wolverines Xavier Simpson and Jordan Poole, two of his ‘big brothers.’ 

Jackson missed six games total, but he was never disconnected from the team. He made the most of his time on the bench to study offenses and defenses and prepare for when he got his opportunity.

That study hall helped him to make a big step at Nebraska. 

“Seeing it from a different angle, you see a lot of reads. It’s like watching film, almost,” Jackson said. “When you’re in the game, you see a certain thing. When you’re watching it from a bird’s-eye view, you see stuff a lot differently.

“Being able to see the game from the bench definitely helped me a lot, especially IQ wise. I feel like it was an opportunity for me to grow with my IQ. People like [fifth-year senior guard] Eli [Brooks] are perfect people to watch because he does everything right 99 percent of the time, if not 100 percent of the time.”

He looked like he belonged against the Cornhuskers. Jackson was active on both ends off the floor and got high off the floor quickly on his rebounds. He absolutely contributed to the big win, and the relief was evident.

“It felt good,” he said. “For my teammates and coaches to still trust me and have the confidence in me to go out there and play like myself — that’s really what helped me go in there and just make plays for my team.”

He’ll only continue to get better, Howard predicted. 

“It takes time after missing a lot of time, missing a lot of practice time,” the Michigan coach said. “All players cannot just jump right in and hit the ground running. It takes you time to develop your conditioning, as well as your feel for the game and getting into a game flow. 

“I’ve been impressed with how Zeb has adjusted and how he’s also being patient with the process.”

They’ll continue to be patient with him, too, while he works his way back. 

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