Desi-Rae Young has no qualms about raising her voice.
The senior forward took center stage after last week’s Mountain West title game, saying of UNLV’s league competition, “We bust ‘em every time.”
After Creighton was revealed as UNLV’s first-round opponent in the NCAA Tournament, Young spoke freely again: “I think we’ve got it in the bag.”
Young has a naturally commanding voice, in tenor and intent, and it befits her star status.
Kiara Jackson, on the other hand, has to work at it.
UNLV’s junior guard is soft-spoken to the point that head coach Lindy La Rocque has had to remind her throughout the season to raise her volume. La Rocque knows a thing or two about playing point guard, and she wants Jackson to lead. That means talking. Sometimes loudly. Sometimes even shouting.
It comes with the job of being the starting point guard, something La Rocque has tried to impress upon Jackson in her first year running the show.
“I embrace her to be herself, but then there’s a command aspect of being the point guard where you’ve got to get people’s attention,” La Rocque said. “She’s got to get out of herself a little bit and raise her voice and really pull people together, and I think she’s done a great job of growing into that.”
Jackson’s play on the court certainly makes a loud statement. After earning Mountain West Sixth Player of the Year honors as a sophomore, Jackson stepped into the starting lineup in place of graduated point guard Essence Booker and blossomed into one of the league’s best, averaging 11.4 points, 4.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game. The Texas native leads UNLV at 31.1 minutes per contest and has nailed 39.5% of her 3-point attempts. Last week she was named to the All-Mountain West first team.
The jump from reserve to starter has been as smooth as Jackson’s change of direction — except for her quiet approach.
Jackson said La Rocque stays on her about making herself heard.
“She definitely wants me to talk more,” Jackson said. “Since my sophomore year, that’s a big difference. She wants me to be more aggressive.”
Jackson is more comfortable as a student of the game.
Late in UNLV’s Mountain West semifinal win over Colorado State, the Rams lined up for a crucial out-of-bounds play. As they got into position, Jackson recognized the set as something CSU had run earlier in the game.
Anticipating the inbound pass, Jackson pounced and came away with a key steal.
“I try to pay attention to what they just ran or a setup that they’re in, see if it looks familiar and see if I recognize what they’re about to do,” Jackson explained.
Paying attention is not usually included in highlight reels, but the play was typical of Jackson’s understated nature.
“For her to have that recognition, that’s just an IQ play,” La Rocque said. “What a critical play to seal the game.”
Jackson’s IQ is an asset, and La Rocque wants her to use it to help the entire team. Being a point guard means being an extension of the coach on the floor: positioning teammates, delivering instructions and keeping everyone connected.
“She just wants me to talk to them on the court, make sure that we know what we’re running, make sure we know what defense we’re in and all that,” Jackson said.
Barking orders is definitely not in Jackson’s wheelhouse, but she has risen to the challenge, as evidenced by UNLV’s 30-2 record and current 15-game winning streak.
“It’s uncomfortable,” La Rocque said. “She’s such a sweet young lady and has kind of a quiet demeanor, which is great, but on the court she has found her voice of how she wants to command the team. And they listen.”
Young has been entrenched as superstar since Jackson arrived three years ago and has witnessed her development into her current leadership role.
“She’s been a lot more vocal this year,” Young said. “I think she understands that she has to do it.”
Young recalls a play earlier in the season in which Jackson directed her to an easy bucket.
“I can remember we were running our out-of-bounds play, and it was for her to come off and get the ball, but she couldn’t get it from me. She was like, ‘Desi, just go to the basket,’ and I went to the basket and got a layup. So she understands how we all operate with each other.”
Jackson will be center stage when UNLV tips off against Creighton on Saturday. It may be a reluctant role, but she’s good at it, and UNLV is winning because Jackson has embraced her leadership position.
If UNLV is able to spring the upset and earn its first NCAA Tournament win, maybe then Jackson will issue some bold proclamations from the postgame podium.
Don’t count on it, though.
“It’s not really natural for me to talk that much,” she said. “But I’m getting there.”
Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.
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