ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, March 15, 1996 TAG: 9603150071
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: DALLAS
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
Wisconsin-Green Bay can partially thank an old home boy for its first-round NCAA Tournament ouster.
Virginia Tech reserve forward Jim Jackson, who starred in high school only a short drive away from Green Bay, had more than just a bit part in the Hokies' 61-48 victory in the Midwest Regional at Reunion Arena.
Playing a season-high 30 minutes off the bench, Jackson was a major cog in a suffocating Tech defense that held Green Bay to a season-low 19 first-half points.
Most of the game, the 6-foot-5 Jackson had the unenviable assignment of guarding 6-7 Jeff Nordgaard, Green Bay's top scoring threat.
While Nordgaard finished with good numbers - 10-of-19 field-goal shooting for 22 points - Jackson enabled Tech to get a lead it never lost by shutting down the Phoenix star without a point for an 11-minute stretch of the first half.
Fighting off screen after screen, the hustling Jackson stayed in Nordgaard's face long enough for Tech to build a cushion.
``I thought Jim Jackson did a whale of a job,'' said Bill Foster, Tech coach. ``If you want for somebody to get under somebody's skin, you call on Jim Jackson.
``I figured our best shot against this team was to go small. I started the game with the normal lineup because I figured I owed it to the seniors to start. But I really wanted to start small.''
Foster took out 6-8 center Travis Jackson early and inserted Jim Jackson, who had averaged 14 minutes of playing time in Tech's first 27 games.
The gangly Jackson threw everything he had at Nordgaard. An undetected hand check there. A hip here. An elbow or two somewhere.
``I think the refs let it go a little bit, it was physical at times,'' Jackson said. ``They've let that go in the Atlantic 10 all year, so we were used to it. I don't know if Green Bay was or not. I think they got frustrated at times they weren't calling some of the fouls.''
Jackson said stopping Nordgaard completely was just short of impossible. The Midwestern Collegiate Conference player of the year is a deadly outside shooter who can fire in a split-second's time.
``He's always moving, and they're always screening for him on the baseline,'' Jackson said. ``He made some incredibly tough shots. He's a great player. My goal was not for him to get the ball, but that's impossible the way they run their offense.''
Nordgaard confessed that Jackson was a tough guy to shake. He had hoped Tech would play a bigger man on him.
``I had heard through the grapevine that some of their inside guys were real aggressive defenders,'' Nordgaard said. ``So I was kind of geared up for that, then they put the smaller guy [Jackson] on me.''
Jackson said he and his twin brother, David, tried to inform the Tech coaches and players of all the information they had on Green Bay. Phoenix guard Ben Berlowski played with the Jacksons at Janesville High.
``David and I keep up with that program,'' Jim said. ``So it feels great to play a lot, contribute and beat them.
``I know a lot of people back home in Wisconsin were watching the game. I'm glad they got to see us. But I'm even more glad they saw us beat them.''
LENGTH: Medium: 63 linesby CNB