CRESWELL – It’s probably fair to say that Luke Jackson is heavily invested.
As he begins his first year running the boys basketball program at Pleasant Hill High School, he’s not only heavily invested in making his students better basketball players, but better people, too. With two all-star players – 6-foot-3 senior guard Gavin Inglish and 6-1 junior guard Landen Melvin – and a strong supporting cast, expectations have never been higher for Billies fans.
Jackson had to leave practice early a few nights ago – he was the color commentator for the Oregon-Oregon State men’s basketball game in Corvallis. Obviously, he’s staying fully immersed with the school that made him famous during his All-American career from 2000-04.
The University of Oregon showed its appreciation this summer, as its Hall of Fame Committee presented Jackson with the Leo Harris Award – also known as the Man of the Year Award – for his 20 years of achievement and service since graduation. Harris, the athletic director from 1947-67, is famous for having a handshake deal with Walt Disney to use Donald Duck’s likeness for The Duck, Oregon’s iconic mascot.
“He’s a pioneer. He did all of these amazing things for the school,” Jackson said. “So they named this community service award for him. It was quite an honor.”
Jackson has always been community-oriented. As a fourth-generation Creswellian, he believes in giving back. His dad was a drywall contractor for 39 years. His grandfather was a milkman, the kind who used to deliver to people’s doorsteps. “We always had ice cream around,” Jackson said.
“I grew up in Creswell playing every day at the park, rain or shine.”
Jackson cares deeply about all of his life’s pursuits – and family comes first. It is the primary reason he’s coaching at Pleasant Hill after being a two-time Oregon Player of the Year at Creswell during his high school career.
“The biggest thing is having my own boys being able to write their own story,” Jackson said of his sons Cole, 14, an eighth-grader, and Calvin, 11, a fifth-grader. “It’s never been about Creswell is better, or Pleasant Hill is better, or anything like that. I just want them to have their own experience.”
Jackson said that “never in a million years” did he expect to be coaching at the high school level now, but he’s glad to have the hand he’s been dealt.
“It does fill my cup, along with broadcasting Ducks games,” Jackson said. “But it’s more about being a steward of the game, passing on some of the things I’ve learned, and as a dad. A lot of former players have trouble finding that balance.
“You want them to have a passion, and I think both of my boys have their own love for it. I want them to have a good experience with it and not feel like we’re a basketball family and this is what we do. And if they do, we’re going to support you. If not, let’s go get some ice cream and forget about it. That’s kind of my outlook on it.”
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With two guards as versatile as Inglish and Melvin, the Billies sort of have a high school version of the old Luke & Luke Show, when Oregon stars Jackson and Luke Ridenour became one of college basketball’s most famous 1-2 combos.
“Gavin is a great kid, a high character kid. He’s good in the classroom, he doesn’t take days off, he works hard, and he’s also very unselfish, and that’s a great ability to have, having that kind of leadership,” Jackson said.
“He’s going to be keyed on all season, so having that 1-2 punch with Landen and Gavin, where they can rely on one another, plus we also have an inside presence, guys won’t be able to double-team him so much and it will take the pressure off of Gavin,” he said. “I’m impressed with his work ethic and his ability to play unselfish basketball.”
“With Landen being older, he’s grown, and he plays above the rim now. He started as a 14-year-old freshman and he’s a tremendous athlete. He’s not just a shooter, he can finish around the rim.”
Jackson said post players Riley Smith and Caden Fisher will control the paint. “We’ll be tough. But we’ll only be as good as our defense,” he said.
Smith, a 6-5 senior, transferred during the summer from Creswell. He was dominant inside against the Billies in their two matchups last season.
“Riley has added a lot of strength this summer, and he can guard multiple positions, so we’re eager to see what he can do for us,” Jackson said.
Fisher, who didn’t play last year, is also 6-5. Jackson says he could be an “impact player.”
Junior Jacob Neely, who plays quarterback for the football team, is expected to play a key role, while Doug Green (brother of volleyball star Cheyenne Green), Noah Johnson, and sophomore Logan Melvin, Landon’s younger brother, will also fit into the Billies’ game plans.
“We have a nice blend of talent. I see some good depth, on the academic side and the character side,” Jackson said. “Every so often you get a group of guys who mesh together really well, and I believe we have that. I think we had one of the highest GPAs in the state last year – a lot of 4.0 kids. And we have a lot of new kids; we’ll probably have 13 kids on the roster.”
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Pleasant Hill’s season ended with a thud last year, as Harrisburg avenged a 32-point regular-season loss to the Billies with a 46-41 victory.
“Their coach, Terry Crabb, and (Creswell’s) Jesse Thomas are very established coaches,” Jackson said. “Terry is a Dean Smith fan. They beat us, then we ran them out of the gym, but Harrisburg and Creswell find ways to compete so it will be fun to find ways to compete against them again.”
Harrisburg and Creswell might be crucial league games for Pleasant Hill, but the Billies’ schedule is chock-full of challenging competition. They play Western Christian, which just won back-to-back 2A state titles; Oakland, another 2A powerhouse; and De La Salle and Valley Catholic, two strong Portland-area teams.
“The schedule was set when I got here, I kind of walked into it,” Jackson said. “We’ll find out who we are, there will be lots of coachable time. We won’t go through that unscathed, but it’s really about how we do in league, so it will be interesting to see if we make it to state and learn who we are along the way.”
Luke Jackson became a household name in Creswell at a young age and his legend has lived on. But during his sophomore season, his career almost ended prematurely in a game against Elmira.
“I was going in for a layup and this kid from Elmira pushes me from behind and I landed on my head,” Jackson recalled. “I broke my arm. But it looked like I broke my neck. The kid got expelled.”
When Creswell faces Pleasant Hill this season, a little fuel will be added to an already fiery rivalry. Which is a good thing, right?
“I think it’s great,” Jackson said. “It’s funny how people can be so tribal in nature, even though every one of us in Creswell has friends in Pleasant Hill. That’s what makes sports fun, is good rivalries. … I never thought I would be on this end of it. I’m sure they have this game circled on their calendar.
“It’s not about me, at all – I’m not playing. It’s about the kids and helping them have a great high school experience, a well-rounded experience. People can make it about me, but it’s about the players.”
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Jackson also stays fully invested with his ex-teammates and former players. He coached for five years at Northwest Christian (now Bushnell), stepping down in 2018.
“I had a chance to be a D-I coach, but I wanted to spend more time with my family,” he said. “I’ll be at all of their games, show up at practice, all that stuff.”
Jackson, who said he “would never say never” about taking a D-1 job in the future, resurrected a struggling program at N orthwest Christian (now Bushnell).
“We were one shot away from winning an NAIA Div. II national championship and had never been to nationals before,” he said. “We finished in the top five twice, won coach of the year twice, player of the year three times, and went to the national tournament four of the five years I was there.”
One of his players, Kylor Kelley, led the G-League in blocked shots last season and signed a deal with the Los Angeles Lakers this year.
“I was talking with some of my players from Northwest Christian – it’s neat as they’re getting older and getting married to listen how that was a special part of their life. As a coach you want to give every player a special experience, teach them how to work hard, and kind of cultivate a brotherhood, because so many guys have bad experiences playing. I feel like I can kind of guide them by working hard but having fun. Because in the end, it’s just a game.”
When he’s not in the gym – or out hunting or fishing – Jackson shows his investment in his community in a variety of ways.
He owns a medical testing laboratory that does samples for hospitals and clinics throughout the Northwest. The Corvallis-based company has clients in 14 states and has contracts with several long-term care and addiction treatment facilities.
He also speaks at the Oregon State Penitentiary, is a board member at Looking Glass, and for the past five years has partnered with the Al Forthan Scholarship fund that awards scholarships to high school students whose parents are incarcerated.
After undergoing 15 surgeries during an injury-plagued professional career, Jackson said he’s almost pain-free now.
Being at Pleasant Hill right now is a pleasant life for Luke Jackson.
“Realistically, I’m just a country bumpkin who likes to stay out in the woods as much as possible,” he said. “Hunting, fishing, basketball, church, hang out with family. I’m pretty lucky.”
