Snake River’s Jackman does everything for his team as it pursues another state title

BLACKFOOT — With less than a minute left, and clinging to a one-point lead, Marcus Coombs dove to the hardwood for a loose bal. Possession meant Snake River would have complete control of the outcome.

But several Sugar-Salem players went after the same ball. So when officials blew their whistles, both coaches launched into defenses of their own interpretation of the play. Shawn Freeman wanted a tie-up call, which would have granted the jumpball possession to his Diggers. Robert Coombs, who rushed several feet on the court, wanted a foul call, no doubt contesting Sugar-Salem could not have earned a contested possession without making illegal contact with Marcus.

When the Panthers coach learned a timeout had been called, Robert laughed. He had no idea that his point guard, senior Dawson Jackman, saw the play unfold and yelled for time as soon as Marcus had the ball in his grasp.

That is just how Jackman plays, Robert explained after the game: he does everything his team needs, and he is always in complete control.

“He’s my point guard — every year, whoever my point guard is has got to run the show,” the coach said, adding that Jackman is not afraid of any player or situation.

Despite having an off-shooting game much of the night, Jackman got hot when his team needed him, draining three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to turn a deficit into a lead his team would never relinquish.

Robert said he is never surprised by what Jackman does on a night in, night out basis. In a matchup of highly ranked 4A squads, Jackman overcame a first half so rough most players would have shied away from shooting, to score 17 — nine of which coming in just over a minute of play.

“He is a competitor. Just because he misses one or two shots, he ain’t going to backdown — he doesn’t know what ‘backdown’ means. In fact, sometimes I wish he would relax a little bit,” Robert said.

There is no doubt that Snake River is one of the most physically imposing teams in the state. At 6-foot-9, Bridjer Howard is uber-athletic, with the ability to contest shots, grab rebounds and even hit the occasional outside jumper. The 6-foot-7 Spencer Anderson is happy to do the dirty work, banging with the other team’s big man. And, at 6-foot-5, Marcus could be the most complete player in the state.

Yet, it is the shortest man on the Panther roster who serves at its driving force.

Jackman has aided his team to the top of the 4A rankings, with his physical defense, clutch shot-making and overall heads-up play.

“He makes us go,” Roberts said. “He competes from horn to horn.”

The Panthers have state championship aspirations, and they will need contributions from everyone to reach that lofty goal. But save for Marcus Coombs, no player is more important to their success than the 5-foot-10 srappy guard.