Jan 05 2007 04:39 PM
But there's hope...
From this week's Sports Illustrated
Joined at the Hoop
An inseparable South Philly duo has no plans to break up its act
Tuesday January 2, 2007
By Chris Mannix
Jackson (left) and Jardine plan to room together at Syracuse next year
Diana Eliazov/SI
When Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia) guard Antonio "Scoop" Jardine dribbles on the wing, center Rick Jackson knows what to do. Without even exchanging a glance with Jardine, Jackson charges over the top, sets a screen, then rolls to the basket to receive one of Jardine's pinpoint passes for a layup. It's a chemistry two seniors can develop when they've been playing together almost daily for four years and spend almost every waking moment together. "That's our play," says Jardine. "We've got that one down cold."
They are Neumann-Goretti's odd couple, Jardine a six-foot-nine chatterbox with a flashy dribble, Jackson an imposing 6-9 shot blocker with a quieter demeanor. Friends since meeting in the seventh grade on a neighborhood playground, Jardine and Jackson -- who live two blocks apart in crime-plagued South Philadelphia -- became inseparable after both enrolled in 2003 at Neumann-Goretti, a Catholic school near their homes. "We just clicked," says Jardine, who averaged 14 points and eight assists last season. "Anywhere you saw me, you saw Rick."
Jardine initially showed the most promise, but by the end of their freshman year Jackson -- who came in at a pudgy 6-2 -- had sprouted to a lean 6-6 -- and was showing skills that would later make him one of the nation's top prospects. They also found that they played their best together. "We'd play two-on-two against seniors," says Jackson, who last year averaged 15 points and 12 rebounds. "And we'd kill them."
So they made a pact to go to college together, a commitment that grew stronger as they led the Saints to back-to-back Philadelphia Catholic League titles. They bonded off the court too, especially after Jackson's beloved aunt, Laretta Thomas, died last July. (Jardine says he was at Jackson's house "every day," helping him cope.) Though both were recruited by numerous elite Division I schools, only Syracuse pursued them aggressively as a package, and that, says Neumann-Goretti coach Carl Arrigale, "was the only way to get them."
Jardine and Jackson will room together at Syracuse -- "Rick can cook," says Jardine; "As long as Scoop doesn't hit me with pillows, we'll be fine," says Jackson -- but first they'll make a run at a school-record third league championship. Arrigale has high hopes. "I've seen guys get a scholarship and stop working," he says. "Not Scoop and Rick. That's just not in their nature."
