WSOU

2021 Pirate Player Preview: Mya Jackson

Date: August 5, 2021

By: Heaven Hill

Seton Hall's Mya Jackson plays defense against Providence during a regular season game.

Ryan Feeney

Mya Jackson might just be the most underrated player in the Big East.

Outside of South Orange, N.J., fans were surely aware of the three-headed monster that was Andra Espinoza-Hunter, Lauren Park-Lane and Desiree Elmore last year, racking up awards and accolades left and right. However, what they might not have noticed within the walls of Walsh Gymnasium was a fiery leader, punishing defenses and knocking down threes with no hesitation.

Jackson’s first season with the team was a whirlwind to say the least. Although she only started five games to Barbara Johnson’s 26, Mya was more of a “supersub” off the pine, playing almost 27 minutes-per-night. She quickly established herself as a shooting specialist, racing around off of screens and spacing the floor with maximum efficiency.

Jackson finished her freshman season averaging 10 points-per-game while shooting 40% from behind the arc on almost five attempts. For reference, only four other freshmen met or surpassed those benchmarks during the 2019-20 season. She was named to the Big East All-Freshman Team to cap off a tremendous start to her career.

This past year, Jackson was the only player to play and start in all 21 games. A model of consistency, she ranked fourth in the Big East with a blistering 41.7% three-point percentage, and sixth in the conference with 1.9 made three pointers-per-game, cementing her status as one of the best shooters in the league.

Seton Hall’s offense improved tremendously, ranking in the top 30 in points-per-game and offensive rating, and Jackson was a big contributor to those results. With Park-Lane and Elmore terrorizing the interior, and Espinoza-Hunter, Jackson, and Alexia Allesch spreading the defense, the Pirates offense looked downright unstoppable at times.

Now heading into her junior year, the guard has solidified herself as a cornerstone to the Pirates offense. In fact, she’s a cornerstone in the locker room as well, recently being named captain for the 2021-22 season.

Two areas of improvement Jackson could focus on for next year would be her proficiency inside the arc and her defense. She shot 50% inside the arc during her freshman season, but then just only 40.6% this past year. Jackson driving to the basket more often and efficiently will then open up passing lanes for her teammates to hit shots from behind the arc, and it’ll let her opponents know she is more than just a shooter.

Defensively, Jackson holds her own, given her stature. Also, and credit to her, she cut back on her fouls a lot, going from 2.9 personal fouls-per-game her freshman year to just 1.6 fouls-per-game this past season. She’s stout on the defensive end, but if she could create turnovers more often, she could really evolve into an elite two-way option.

So, Jackson has quietly certified herself as one of the best snipers in the conference and has garnered the respect of her teammates and coaches for being reliable and authentic. With another year of roster overturn, the Pirates need consistency and dependability more than ever. No doubt about it, you can count on her to show up in the clutch.

Heaven Hill is the Sports Director at 89.5 FM WSOU and can be reached at wsou.sports@gmail.com.

Posted in: Women's Basketball, Sports, WSOU

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