“Bleeding cardinal and gold.”
That’s the phrase Bill Fennelly reaches for every time he talks about Arianna Jackson, and it fits. Jackson’s Iowa State roots run deep: both of her parents are Iowa State graduates, and her dad Hez and brother Kendell both played football for the university.
Cyclone fans may also remember Kendell Jackson from one of the program’s signature moments, when he recovered the fumble against Iowa on the one-yard line before Iowa State turned it into “The Drive” and ended an eight-year drought.
Arianna Jackson, usually called AJ, has grown into one of the most important players on a roster that features 10 newcomers. Fennelly makes it clear that her value goes well beyond the box score.
“She’s on every committee that the athletic department comes up with. She’s never, ever gotten the attention she deserves. People in this building know how important AJ is.”
That kind of praise says plenty about a fourth-year guard who has started almost every game of her college career. With so much uncertainty around the roster, Jackson is the one piece Iowa State can point to with the clearest sense of what to expect.
Her game gives the Cyclones a steady foundation. Jackson was one of the country’s best shooters last season, finishing in the top 10 nationally in 3-point field goal percentage at nearly 44%.
Fennelly has described this team as having plenty of shooters but not many finishers, which could put even more on Jackson’s shoulders. Nearly 85% of her shot attempts come from beyond the arc, and that should keep her stationed on the perimeter while other guards attack off the dribble.
She also takes on the toughest defensive assignment every night. At 5-foot-9, Jackson has earned Fennelly’s trust from the start, going all the way back to her freshman season when she was tasked with guarding Caitlin Clark, who had already become one of the biggest stars in women’s basketball.
No matter the opponent, Jackson is the one chasing the top guard and making life difficult for anyone trying to get downhill.
Her role is pretty easy to project: threes, defense, and composure. Jackson’s career high is 18 points, which she set against UCF last season, and she still looks like a secondary scoring option on a team that has shown more willingness to work the ball inside to Tjaša Turnšek or create offense off the dribble. Even so, there will be nights when Jackson and Mya Babbitt are both locked in from deep, and that kind of shooting could be the edge against bigger teams.
She’s already drawing the loudest reaction from the Iowa State crowd among the starters, a sign of how much Cyclone fans appreciate a player who has been around and delivered. And with the new NCAA eligibility rules, the Des Moines Roosevelt product has a chance to come back for a fifth season.
In Other News...
Iowa States Biggest Problem Is Wasting Its Own Offensive Breakthroughs
Iowa State finally got the kind of offensive production it has been searching for, piling up more than 450 yards against Baylor on Nov. 7, but it still walked away with a 42-31 loss and a 4-5 record. Jaylen Raynor and Aiden Flora helped spark a unit that looked far more dangerous than it had in recent weeks, yet the Cyclones could not turn that breakthrough into a win because the rest of the operation never held up its end.
Defensive breakdowns and special teams mistakes kept giving Baylor openings, and those errors proved too costly in Big 12 play as Iowa State slipped to 2-4 in the league. Coach Jimmy Rogers and several players pointed to execution as the issue, leaving the Cyclones with little margin for error as they try to salvage the final stretch of the season and make sure another strong offensive showing does not go to waste. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa State Just Got Exposed In One Painful Road Loss
Iowa States trip to McLane Stadium turned into a rough reminder of how quickly a road game can slip away in the Big 12. Baylor erased an early deficit and rolled to a 42-31 win, leaning on a punishing ground game that produced 194 rushing yards and four touchdowns while also getting key help from DJ Lagway and Tony Livingston. The result pushed the Bears to 6-3 overall and locked up bowl eligibility, while the Cyclones were left to sort through a loss that exposed some real issues away from home.
Even with Iowa State piling up 216 rushing yards of its own, Baylor controlled enough of the game to keep the Cyclones from ever fully settling in. The Bears defense added three sacks and nine tackles for loss, helping turn a competitive matchup into a frustrating finish for Iowa State. For a team with bigger goals, this was the kind of defeat that lingers because it came with clear signs of what still needs fixing. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa State Finally Took Control After An Early Warning Sign
Iowa State had to work through an early warning sign at Hilton Coliseum before settling in and taking care of Eastern Illinois, 77-61. The Cyclones were tested in a close first half, but they found a better rhythm after the break and leaned on Tjaa Turnek, who led the way with 20 points, while Xiao Zhang added 14.
The second-half push gave Iowa State the kind of separation it wanted after a choppy opening stretch, and it left the Cyclones with something to build on heading into their next home game. Howard comes to Ames next, and Iowa State will look to carry the steadier finish from this one into that matchup. [Read more 🡒]