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Deanna Jackson signed with Ramat… Hasharon
Lior Klinger
,08/26/2006 |
Anda Ramat Hasharon signed Deanna Jackson, who played for Ramat Hen last season and was very close to re-signing before the attractive offer from Ramat Hasharon came along.
Ramat Hen suffered another blow when Monique Coker decided to sign in Poland.
Deanna Jackson (26, 6'2) may not be a marquee name like we're used to see in Anda Ramat Hasharon uniform, but her game speaks for itself. With the kind of numbers she put up and the abilities she showcased at Ramat Hen last year, you just can't argue. Jackson is an efficient, versatile and proven player who should help Ramat Hasharon a great deal this season.
Jackson joined Ramat Hen in January, for round 13, when the team's record was a disappointing 6-5. Soon enough Jackson established herself as one of the best players in the league, on both ends of the court, and Ramat Hen won 7 of 8 games to secure a playoff spot. In the playoffs Ramat Hen swept Haifa/Motzkin without home court advantage, while Jackson averaged 24.3 points, 11 boards and 3 steals per game in the series.
Jackson was named 'Safsal' player of the month for February and March, and became the only player to earn the honor twice. She finished the regular season averaging 20.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, which earned her a spot on the Israeli league 2nd team. Had she been with Ramat Hen from the beginning of the season, she wouldn't have been snubbed from the 1st team.
Considering last season's success, Ramat Hen badly wanted to keep Jackson for another season and said so even moments after the championship series ended. The Israeli papers jumped the gun two months ago and published that it was a done deal. In actuality according to Ramat Hen, Jackson expressed her intentions to come back to Ramat Hen and waited for the war to end before signing the contract. In the meantime she received an offer from Ramat Hasharon that Ramat Hen could not compete with.
Jackson spent her 5th WNBA season this summer with the Chicago Sky. Due to the coach's decision and some injury problems Jackson played in just 22 games and averaged 15 minutes per game (6 ppg & 3 rpg) in a rather disappointing season for her personally and for the team which finished last in the league with only 5 wins. Jackson came to Chicago after two seasons in Indiana and two in Cleveland. She was the 8th overall pick in the 2002 draft. She was the NCAA's top scorer (26.2) and rebounder (12.3) as a senior in Alabama-Birmingham before suffering a season-ending leg injury.
Coach Orna Ostfeld said about the new acquisition: "Deanna Jackson is a surprising player with her abilities, contributes in every aspect of the game, rebounding, steals, defense and scoring. I'm happy she's coming to our team also because she is a winner and a leader."
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