One look at Jackson State’s men’s record and you will immediately think, those guys aren’t any good. Heading into Saturday’s Dec. 4 game, the blue Bengals of the hardwood were sitting with 1 win against 6 losses. Nothing to get excited about. Taking a second look at their schedule would also indicate why. Unlike their comrades on the gridiron, these tigers play top teams nationally. TCU, UCF, Baylor, Louisville, and Nebraska contributed to five of their losses. All of those teams made the NCAA tournament last year or the NIT tournament. For years now, Jackson State has scheduled top teams like this to better prepare themselves for their SWAC opponents. Playing these caliber teams is a challenge in itself, then add in the fact that Jackson State plays them on the road. JSU’s season officially started November 12th in Dallas against TCU. Almost a month later, they play their first home game in front of an announced crowd of 4,480. JSU’s sagging attendance is a topic for another day. Their opponent was Florida International University (FIU), the school that is more noted for their coach than their players. They entered the contest with a record of 4 wins and 3 losses. FIU is coached by NBA Icon and Hall of Famer, Isaiah Thomas, who played for the Detroit Pistons. Ironically, JSU promoted Thomas’s coming to Jackson more than it being JSU’s first home game. You could spot people taking camera phone shots of Coach Thomas whenever he stood up. Naturally, he was more focused on the game.
The Tigers came out fired up, but shooting cold. FIU wasn’t a blazing inferno either. FIU erased an early four point lead by the Tigers and compiled their own 10 point lead. JSU shot 30 percent from the field in the first half and FIU shot 44 percent. Despite the cold shooting to start, JSU rallied in the last minutes of the first half to take a one point halftime lead of 24 to 23. Hitting three consecutive three pointers for the Tigers was Jenirro Bush, a junior guard from Starkville. His shooting brought the crowd to life at the end of the half.
Scoring picked up for JSU in the second half. The tigers shot 57 percent from the field in the second with four-three pointers. Perhaps the most exciting moment came when Raymond Gregory, a sophomore center from New Jersey, caught a pass from the other end of the court, took one step, slammed it and pulled himself up on the rim. The crowd cheered loudly and the bench was loving it. Jackson State jumped out to an eight point lead with 7:48 left in the game before FIU made one last comeback attempt. But in their home opener, the Tigers were not to be denied. Jenirro Bush paced JSU with 23 points, 1 assist, and 3 rebounds. Teammate Tyrone Hanson added 10 points and 4 assists. FIU was led by Eric Frederick’s 23 points and 10 rebounds. When asked about the game, JSU’s coach Tevester Anderson responded, “We didn’t shoot very well in the first half. Because we have been on the road so long it was like playing in a new gym. But we played better in the second half and that’s the way you are supposed to shoot in your own gym. I thought we showed a lot of heart and character.” JSU improves to 2 and 6 and will play their next game Saturday, Dec. 11 in Denton, Texas against North Texas, another NCAA qualifying team. The Tigers play at home again Dec. 14 against Spring Hill at 7 p.m.
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