UNC’s Justin Jackson shakes off critics, clears mind before breaking out of slump

They went to Twitter and typed Justin Jackson's handle into the text field and sent him tweets calling him “soft” and “worthless” and a “clown” and told him that his summer workout plan hadn't worked and that he should leave school early and go play in Europe.

“Seriously, look at you on tape,” one person wrote to Jackson, the North Carolina sophomore forward.

“How is this clown wearing a Heels (uniform),” another wrote to Jackson.

This was during UNC's loss at Notre Dame last Saturday and in the aftermath of that defeat. All of these tweets, and more, waiting for Jackson, who'd finished with five points and missed six of his seven shots from the field.

One person included Jackson's teammates: “Can you guys grow a pair ...” it read.

Another wrote to Jackson and Theo Pinson, the sophomore forward, and posted a picture from Office Space with a popular quote from the movie written on it: “What exactly would you say you do here?”

The tweets went on and on. Finally Jackson had enough. He typed out a response and posted it:

“To all the "fans" out there... Thank you! The support/demeaning talk is just motivation! We'll be alright!”

This hasn't been the sophomore season that Jackson envisioned. He has struggled at times, gone cold at times and at times has gone missing in UNC's offense.

There are signs, though, that his troubles are ending. He led UNC's comeback victory at Boston College last week and finished with 20 points. And during the Tar Heels' 85-64 victory against Pittsburgh on Sunday, Jackson finished with 14 points, six assists and four rebounds.

Jackson's reemergence coincides with the beginning of a difficult closing stretch for UNC, which hosts Duke on Wednesday night. After that Miami, which is in second place and one game behind UNC in the ACC standings, visits the Smith Center on Saturday.

Jackson's two recent strong performances came after he attempted to clear his mind. They came after he attempted to eliminate distractions, social media among them. He deleted Twitter from his phone.

“Because it can be distracting sometimes,” Jackson said on Sunday. “We're still humans. We're still going to look at that and feel angry, get down. Whatever it might be. So I took it off my phone for a little bit. We'll see how that goes.”

The social media hate and abuse is nothing new. Professional athletes receive it. College athletes receive it. Celebrities, politicians, media members – anyone, really – can find themselves the target of Twitter bullies.

Twitter rage and insults have become ubiquitous, so much so that Jimmy Kimmel, the comedian and late-night TV host, has inspired no shortage of laughs with a humorous bit in which celebrities read “mean tweets” they've been sent. The nastiness directed toward Jackson, though, clearly didn't amuse him.

“A lot of people have my Twitter handle,” Jackson said. “And a lot of y'all don't see what comes through that Twitter handle.”

After the victory at Boston College, where Jackson didn't start for the first time this season, Jackson spoke of his work to tune out the noise – from critics, from media. He even included his parents in that group but he clarified that point on Sunday and said his parents “are the only people I can go to.”

“I actually got a text message my mom saying, 'I hope we're not doing anything,'” Jackson said. “And so that's the farthest thing. They're usually the people that I go to and talk to and give me the most helpful advice.

“So they really have nothing to do with it. And so a lot of it is just tuning everything out – whether it's the pressure I put on myself sometimes. Whether it's the fans. Whatever it is.”

To tune everything out, Jackson said, he sought “quiet times.” His faith is important to him, and so he said he read the Bible and spent time in prayer.

“And then my three best friends from back home,” said Jackson, a native of Tomball, Texas, which is outside of Houston. “We've spent a whole lot of time on FaceTime here lately. So just kind of getting away from basketball sometimes can kind of clear your head.”

During the season, at least, Jackson can never travel too far away from basketball. There are practices and games and the inevitable success and failure that comes with competition – and all of it plays out, usually, on a nationally-televised stage.

Which can lead to the increased pressure. Given the way Jackson finished last season – he scored in double figures in 11 of UNC's final 12 games and became one of the Tar Heels' most important players in March – higher expectations followed him into this season.

There was speculation he might consider leaving school to enter the NBA draft after his sophomore season. Success seemed a given. Yet outside of a three-game stretch in November, when Jackson scored at least 21 points in three consecutive games, consistent success has been elusive.

Against Boston College and Pitt, for instance, Jackson scored in double figures in consecutive games for the first time since early January. Jackson acknowledged that being removed from the starting lineup against Boston College had an effect and caused him to reflect.

“It was definitely different,” said Jackson, who returned to the starting lineup on Sunday.

Before the game against Pitt, UNC coach Roy Williams said Jackson had been “fighting through some things.”

Then Jackson made two of his three 3-point attempts against Pitt and finished with those 14 points. It was his second consecutive game in which he'd made two of his three 3s, a positive sign for him given that before the Boston College game Jackson had made one of his past 19 3-point attempts.

Jackson exaggerated his shooting struggles after the Pitt game and said he'd missed his past 30 3-point attempts. He said his shooting slump was “almost the worst you can possibly do.”

Marcus Paige, the senior guard who recently broke out of a long slump, was walking by when Jackson was describing his shooting woes.

“That's almost worse than me, J-Jax,” Paige said. “Almost.”

Jackson smiled at the joke. For the second consecutive game he'd played well and played like he knows he can. There were no hate tweets waiting for him this time, nothing but positive and congratulatory messages, but Jackson was in no rush to look at them, anyway.

This story was originally published February 15, 2016 at 3:30 PM with the headline "UNC’s Justin Jackson shakes off critics, clears mind before breaking out of slump."