Ian Jackson excelled in his Big East Tournament debut, and the practicing Muslim produced despite fasting for the holy month of Ramadan.
In top-seeded St. John’s 85-72 win over No. 9 Providence in the quarterfinals, Jackson turned in one of his better efforts of the year, scoring 14 points to go with three rebounds and two assists.
It came as he was fasting.
Once the sun rises, the junior cannot ingest any food or liquid until it sets. It makes afternoon games like Thursday’s contest more difficult.
“It was rough, me fasting,” he said. “I wouldn’t say it took a toll, but it’s definitely something different.”
Jackson wakes up at 5 a.m. before the sun rises and eats a good amount. He isn’t the only Johnnie fasting for Ramadan.
Teammates Sadiku Ibine Ayo and Imran Suljanovic are practicing Muslims as well.
“We’re all going through it together,” said Jackson, who converted to Islam while in high school. “Ramadan is not an individual thing, it’s a collective thing as all Muslims come together and try to do things well for this month.”
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Thursday was a first for Jackson. Despite growing up in The Bronx, he never attended the Big East Tournament as a fan.
“It was great. I fed off my teammates,” the sophomore guard said. “Obviously, we started the game great on the defensive end, getting stops. I came in, tried to add to that. Defense led to offense and we got things rolling.
“It always feels good to play well, especially at home.”
Coach Rick Pitino joked that this wasn’t Zuby Ejiofor’s best performance despite the star senior finishing with 21 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and three blocks.
“I thought Zuby made quite a few mistakes in the game,” Pitino said with a smile. “He didn’t bless himself before the game, he didn’t tuck his shirt in three times, he didn’t say thank you when I gave him credit, so he didn’t have a great night.”
St. John’s has now reached the Big East Tournament semifinals in three straight years. Prior to this current run, the Red Storm last advanced that far in 2000.
Bryce Hopkins’ 13 rebounds were a season high. … St. John’s bench outscored Providence’s reserves, 30-4.
