Mitch Jackson signed on to be a Carleton Raven this year even with an entire province of distance between Ottawa and his hometown of Regina.
After graduating from Balfour Collegiate earlier this year, Jackson said Carleton appealed to him because of the men’s basketball team’s success in recent years, including winning last year’s Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) Final, their fourth in a row.
“It presented a huge opportunity for me, and I felt like I needed to to give it a shot,” Jackson said.
The first-year forward, who stands at an imposing six-foot-eight, chose to join the ranks of nine other first-year players with the Ravens after considering three other schools much closer to home, including the Universities of Regina, Saskatchewan, and Alberta.
Jackson said academics also factored into his decision, in particular the reputation of Sprott Business School, going into his first year of commerce.
He said the opportunity Carleton offered him would motivate him to overcome the challenges that come with choosing a long-distance school.
“I can see myself making a bigger impact on the team as the years go on if I train the way I need to be and really dedicate myself,” Jackson said. “I want to contribute as much as I can and where I can, and where I’m needed.”
Ravens head coach Dave Smart has said Jackson has the potential to be something “special,” and Jackson described his experience with the Ravens so far as “a great learning curve.”
Fellow Ravens guard Gavin Resch’s said he also has nothing but praise for Jackson.
“Mitch is a smart kid,” Resch said. “If he puts in the work and gets a good work ethic he could do very well here at Carleton.”
He said he’s also looking forward to seeing the other first-years in action in addition to Jackson.
“It is always interesting with the first-years—they have such a steep learning curve, so when someone puts in the work and starts to understand what is going on it is always exciting,” he said.
Jackson said balancing school and basketball has been a big transition, but added he’s had a lot of help from other players on the team.
“If [Jackson] shows up with tons of energy and excitement to practice he could greatly raise the level of effort and intensity, which would be very beneficial to the team,” Resch said. “I hope he has a good season and career here.”
