Driven by family losses, UTEP standout Jackson presses forward

EL PASO, Texas -- One month into his freshman year, Stefon Jackson was devastated by the murder of his brother.

About a year later, his father died.

"I've been through a lot," said Jackson, Texas-El Paso's star senior guard. "I think about my brother and my dad all the time.

"Some days I think about it, and some days I want to quit playing basketball. But I know my little brother and my dad wouldn't want me to quit."

Jackson considered entering the NBA Draft last summer but thought it through and decided to finish his college career, one marked by highlights on the court and low points in his personal life.

He was the seventh-leading scorer in the nation last season, averaging 23.6 points. And while he performs in relative obscurity, Jackson is no secret to UNLV.

When the Rebels (4-0) visit the Miners (2-0) at 6 p.m. today, Jackson figures to play a major role in the outcome.

"It will be a huge test for us," said coach Lon Kruger, who is taking his team on the road for the first time this season.

"Jackson is one of the best guards in the country, and just to contain him it's going to be a team effort," Rebels senior guard Wink Adams said.

Adams and Jackson earned spots on the Wooden Award preseason top 50 list of the nation's best players.

They got acquainted with each other in December when UNLV defeated UTEP 84-71 in Las Vegas. Jackson scored 22 points, while Joe Darger led the Rebels with 23 and Adams added 14.

The Miners, 19-14 last season, have been preparing for this game since beating Georgia Southern 96-79 on Tuesday. Sophomore guard Randy Culpepper scored 35 points and Jackson had 26.

"Those were some of the quickest guards I played against last year," Adams said.

The 6-foot-5-inch Jackson, averaging 20.5 points so far, said he's looking forward to another shot at the Rebels.

"UNLV is a tough team, one of the best teams in college basketball right now. I expect it to be a real intense game," Jackson said.

"I think a lot of people don't give us the attention we deserve. People don't get to watch our games and they underrate us. We feel like we have a good team and we have a chance to go to the NCAA Tournament."

Jackson is from a tough neighborhood in Philadelphia, and since being in El Paso he has had to return home twice for funerals.

He was a freshman in 2005 when he learned about the murder of his brother, Demetrick, who was sitting in a car when he was shot five times.

"When I lost my little brother, that was my world. He was always in my corner. He was the world to me," Jackson said. "I felt like part of me was gone."

Not long after that, Jackson endured another painful experience with the death of his father, Vernon Bennett. Bennett had been paralyzed by a gunshot about 10 years earlier, and when the bullet that remained inside him moved in 2006, it killed him instantly.

"It has affected me a lot. But I'm a tougher person," Jackson said. "One day, I'll see my little brother again."

• NOTES -- The Rebels are playing in El Paso for the first time since January 1998. ... Former UNLV star Greg Anthony will be the analyst for tonight's game on CBS College Sports.

Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907.