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MA ForpelESPN.com
Tiffany Jackson, an All-American on Texas’ women’s basketball team and the fifth overall pick in the 2007 WNBA Draft, died Monday after a battle with breast cancer, the school announced Monday. Jackson was 37 years old.
She played for the Longhorns from 2003-2007 and had a glorious high school career at Prep Power Duncanville, Texas.
Jackson was a three-time All-American, was named 2004 Big 12 Freshman of the Year, and made three first-team All-Conference appearances. Jackson appeared in his 123 games with the Longhorns, starting in 103.
She is the only player in Texas women’s hoop history to record at least 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 300 steals and 150 blocks. In her career, Jackson ranked her fifth among Longhorn women with her 1,917 points, fourth with 1,039 rebounds, third with 313 steals, and seventh with 181 blocks shot. is. She is one of her five players in program history to surpass her 1,000 in both points and rebounds.
“Tiffany had a great career and was an influential player,” said former Texas women’s basketball coach Jody Conrad, who retired after Jackson’s senior season in 2007. She could play multiple positions, she was loved by her teammates and we share the grief of her loss.
The 6-foot-3 forward was selected by the New York Liberty in 2007. She played 3 full seasons at Liberty and 4 she was traded to Tulsa during the season. Jackson had her best WNBA season in 2011 with the Shock, averaging 12.4 points and her 8.4 rebounds.
She remained with Tulsa until 2015 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Jackson retired at age 32 after playing one more season in her WNBA in 2017 in Los Angeles. He then returned to his alma mater as an assistant coach for two years.
Jackson was the current head coach at Wiley College, an NAIA school in Marshall, Texas.
“We are deeply saddened to hear the news of the passing of one of the greatest players in the history of Texas women’s basketball, Tiffany Jackson,” Longhorns coach Vic Schaefer said in a statement. “From her days as a DFW elite player to her days as a University of Texas player, Tiffany has meant so much to so many people in this great state of Texas. will be missed. Our deepest condolences go out to her family.
In 2016, Jackson spoke to ESPN about dealing with cancer as a young woman and as a professional athlete.
“When you hear ‘breast cancer,’ I think you get it,” she said. “But you can’t really understand it until it approaches you or reaches home.
“It was something that really didn’t even occur to me. So I feel like just knowing there’s a possibility helps people. I wish I knew more. I’ve been talking about it in. Especially the African American community. Because we don’t get a lot of early testing. doing. .”
