By Gary Lloyd
BIRMINGHAM — The two NBA stars Zach Jackson likes to watch dunk are Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose and Indiana Pacers forward Paul George.
They are two of the most athletic players in pro basketball, two fierce dunkers who make jaws drop in NBA arenas throughout the country.
Not bad dunking idols for Jackson, a Pinson Valley senior who over the weekend won the 2014 AHSAA Final 48 Coca-Cola Slam Dunk Contest at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex.
“I just like the dunks they do,” Jackson said.
Pinson Valley alum Coty Clarke, now playing collegiately at Arkansas, won the contest in 2010. Jackson bested Center Point’s Kameron Hornbuckle for the title.
“Zach winning is a testament to his athletic ability,” said Pinson Valley head coach Clint Argo. “It’s a cool award to win. Dunking isn’t something as coaches we practice for but it is part of the game. It’s something guys work on individually before or after practice. For him to be able to say he’s won a slam dunk contest is something he can tell his kids and grandkids in the future.”
As a senior last season, Jackson averaged 17.8 points, six rebounds and three steals per game. The 6-foot-3 guard dunked for the first time the summer before his ninth grade year, flushing a one-handed slam.
Jackson dunked a lot as a senior, a year in which he attracted some college teams. He plans to play at the next level, though no offers have come in. Argo said Jackson was “very good” last season with the cover dunk, which is a rebound put-back with the dunk. He dunked three times — a cover dunk, an alley-oop from a teammate and one on a fast break from a pass off the backboard — against Shades Valley on Feb. 4.
“His explosiveness allowed him to dunk on fast breaks, over players and none of his dunks were ever soft,” Argo said. “They always had power behind them.”
Jackson was a last-minute entry into the competition due to another participant’s injury. This allowed Jackson no time in the gym to practice dunks.
“Zach going out there and winning shows obviously he has that ability,” Argo said. “Winning a dunk contest with no practice is impressive. Him winning a dunk contest doesn’t surprise me but it makes me proud. He represented Pinson Valley well all season long and again at the BJCC.”
For the competition, Jackson threw the ball off the backboard and dunked it. He then caught an alley-oop from teammate Donevan Waldrop. The title-clinching dunk was a 360-degree one-handed slam.
“It means a lot (to win),” Jackson said.
Argo said he’s “very proud” of Jackson.
“Zach never made a big deal about dunks in a game because to him it was part of the game,” he said.
Contact Gary Lloyd at news@trussvilletribune.com and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.