Bray Jackson, basketball
Bray Jackson plays three sports at West Greene, a tribute to his athleticism, as well as a product of going to a Class A school.
But at 6-0 and weighing 200 pounds, Jackson also benefits from the size around him. He plays fullback and linebacker in football and throws the javelin in track season, but plays guard, point guard of all things, in basketball.
“He became a point guard out of necessity because we just don’t have fluid ball handlers,” boys coach Jim Romanus said. “He’s the kind of person who listens to everything that you say. He takes criticism well. The thing I like the most about him is his physicality. I like physical kids who don’t complain and he fits that role perfectly. We’ve molded him into something that he probably shouldn’t have been, but he’s turned into a pretty good point guard and a pretty good shooter. I expect him this year to have some light-up games, he’s got that kind of potential.”
Jackson carries a grade-point average over a 4.0, but isn’t sure what it is exactly. “I get all A’s and I take some AP classes,” is how he puts it. Grades like that certainly give Jackson options for college.
“I’ve been accepted to Waynesburg and Slippery Rock,” he said. “I applied to Ashland University in Ohio. I think I want to get away, but I’m not sure. I want to study exercise science or athletic training. I’d like to play football in college. Football may play a part in where I go, but the education would come first.”
His unique combination of athleticism and academics helped Jackson earn West Greene’s selection as its male winter sports honoree in the Centennial Chevrolet Scholar/Athlete Spotlight program. A son of Brian and Crystal Jackson of Waynesburg, Bray has four siblings, including twin brother Beau, seventh-grader Ben, fifth-grader BreAnn and third-grader Brian.
“We do everything together. We have only one different class in school,” Bray said about growing up a twin. “We used to switch seats in class. One time, we switched seats for a test, but Beau didn’t want me to take his test because he thought I’d fail it. So we had to run back and switch back to our normal seats.”
His favorite twin story involves Romanus.
“He never gets me or Beau right, never gets us right,” Bray said. “But his wife is a substitute teacher here and the first time she had us, she got us right.”
Romanus said he can tell them apart “only when they are playing. When they are standing side-by-side, it’s hard. I can tell by the way that Bray plays vs. Beau, it’s totally different. Both of those kids are great kids and it’s been a pleasure having them in class and it’s been a pleasure to coach them. Bray has come a long way, but the thing I always liked about him was his toughness.”
“More importantly, I can tell you what kind of person he is,” Romanus said. “I’ve had him in a couple of science classes. He’s an outstanding student, an outstanding leader. He takes things very seriously, which is very important to a teacher.
“As a basketball player, this is his fourth year with us. He and his brother are very conscientious in their work ethic and Bray’s been a captain for us the last two years and he’s been a starter the last three years. He’s the kind of kid who pushes himself to the limit, which makes him an atypical kind of player here. A lot of kids don’t reach their potential because they don’t push themselves, but Bray is just the opposite. He’s outstanding.”