Jackson perseveres despite tragic past

The Kansas standout has seen his share of heartache.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Tragedy keeps following Darnell Jackson.

It first found him in Oklahoma, taking his father, leading him to the crime scene of a classmate’s murder.

It tracked him down at Kansas, snatching the lives of friends and relatives — his beloved grandmother among them — and maiming his mother.

Tragedy’s pursuit has been relentless, flooring Jackson at nearly every turn, cramming a lifetime of heartache into 22 years. But each time, Jackson pulled himself up — sometimes reluctantly — pounding his chest in defiance.

“You have to keep getting up,” he said. “It’s the only way you can keep going.”

Jackson was in the eighth grade when his absentee father was killed by Oklahoma City police after he attacked a jogger. During his senior year at high school, Jackson stumbled across the dead body of a classmate.

It didn’t get better when he arrived in Lawrence. His close friend was killed by gang members, his paternal grandfather died and one of his uncles was beaten to death with a hammer.

Then came the crash.

It was May 29, 2005, and Jackson’s mother and grandmother were heading back after taking younger brother Evan to see his father in Las Vegas. An 18-year-old drunken driver swerved into their lane, causing a head-on collision.

Jackson’s mother, Shawn Jackson, was left with a mangled right arm and a crushed right ankle. Evon Jackson, the grandmother who calmed a scared or sad Darnell by resting his head on her stomach, died a week later from her injuries.

“Just having my teammates and family and friends helping me out has meant a great deal,” Jackson said. “When I’m on the court, it’s like a whole different world, when I’m not worrying about anything.”

But tragedy is never far away.

In February, while playing some of his best basketball, Jackson learned his 19-year-old cousin, Kascey Corie McClellan, had died after being shot a week earlier at an Oklahoma City nightclub.

“I think it’s remarkable with what he’s gone through to get to this point,” Self said. “To have everything thrown at him, he’s still kept his focus and had the discipline to go ahead and see it through.”