AUS - Jackson as hungry as ever to win titles

SYDNEY (Olympics) – Lauren Jackson has already done enough on the basketball court in her life to ensure she’ll be regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the game.

As a professional, the Australian has done it all in America, Europe and Down Under.

She’s played at four FIBA World Championships, with the crowning achievement a gold medal in 2006.

Jackson has also been with the Opals at the last three Olympic Games, capturing silver each time.

At 30 years of age, it’s safe to say there is lot more to come from the 1.96m power forward.

Injuries are a part of sports and Jackson has had her share, yet she continues to come back.

In 2010, Jackson was the WNBA’s best player in leading the Seattle Storm to the title.

She has since had a serious Achilles and hip injuries, and both required operations.

Rest assured, Jackson remains among the elite players in the game.

The London Games are less than a year away and Jackson has this message for her fans everywhere.

“I think going into the summer physically,” she said, “I’ll be the best I’ve ever been at the Olympics.”

Jackson, who recently joined Spanish and EuroLeague Women outfit Ros Casares, took time out of her schedule to talk to FIBA.com about growing up in a basketball household, overcoming injuries and being at her best for the London Olympics.

FIBA: Lauren, you get around. You seem to have played everywhere. This is another stop, in Valencia, on your amazing journey.
Jackson: I know, hopefully a good one. I think we’ve got a lot of potential. I’m looking forward to seeing how the season progresses and I’m feeling pretty confident.

FIBA: That was quite a significant moment you had a few weeks ago back home in Albury when they named the stadium after you. Is that where you took your first steps in basketball?
Jackson: Yes it was. My mum (Maree Jackson) had me and then two weeks later started playing again, which in this day is impossible. You just can't do that. It was at that stadium and I played my first games there. I got chicken pox in that stadium. I caught it from a boys team my dad (Gary) was coaching. It’s been my life and I love the sport, so, it was a great honor and I can't wait to move back there and I guess create my own legacy in Albury.

FIBA: You mother, Maree, tell us about her?
Jackson: My mother was one of the first women to play in the NCAA from Australia. She played for LSU (Lousiana State University) and still holds records there that nobody's beaten and she was captain of the national team in the 1970s. It's a pretty sad story (smiles), she had a couple of kids and missed out on the Olympics. And sometimes when I talk to her, I see a little bit of nostalgia in her eyes. I think she has a lot of pride in watching my career and seeing how it’s developed. She's my best friend. She’s sort of been the one who has supported me through thick and thin. She's never pushed me, but has just always been there to pick up the pieces, occasionally, and just be a mum. And my dad played for the national team in the 1970s.

FIBA: So it was pre-ordained you were going to be a basketball player.
Jackson: Pretty much. It was in my blood and I always knew that I was going to play, even in the days when it wasn’t possible for women to make a living out of playing the sport. But mum and dad never said, ‘You’re going to have to be a teacher.’ They always supported my desire to be a professional basketball player. And it’s been unbelievable, the ride of my life.

FIBA: Turn the clock back to 1998 at the FIBA World Championship for Women in Berlin. Was that was your first tournament with the senior team?
Jackson: Yes it was. I had been to America and Brazil a couple of times but that was my first major tournament.

FIBA: So how fast does time seem to have gone for you?
Jackson: It’s like going from being the rookie to the veteran. Mum and I were talking about that the other day. It’s definitely had its own life, my career. It’s been fun but I’ve got a few good years left in my career, so I’m going to try and make the most of them. I think the injuries have subsided a little bit, which I’m happy about and my body feels great.

FIBA: The bad injury you had last year at Sparta&K Moscow Region?
Jackson: My Achilles, so I had surgery on that. And when I went to America, I tore all the cartilage off my hip, so I had to get my hip operated on and that was a nightmare.

FIBA: Was that the worst injury you have ever suffered?
Jackson: Yes, probably. The surgery, just going through all that because I had just rushed to get back as well. And so I came back pretty quickly. It was painful. The month that I took off after the WNBA season, I needed to because I feel so much better now. I think I’ll be all right, now.

FIBA: It’s impossible to talk about women’s basketball without your name and Australia coming up. You have accomplished so many things with the national team and this is a big opportunity coming up, the London Games next year.
Jackson: Absolutely. I think being in Valencia is really going to help me. I’m going to get fit here, my role is going to be a little different (at Ros Casares). I’m not sure how I’m going to fit into the team. I think that is going to be something that evolves. I think that I’ll definitely get better over here. And then heading into the national program and working at the Australian Institute of Sport. They’ll work on my body and getting me right physically. I think going into the summer physically, I’ll be the best I’ve ever been at the Olympics. I’m pretty excited about it, actually.

FIBA: Being able to live and play in a city where there is a nice climate, it’s going to make for quite a change compared to your last club in Europe, Sparta&K Moscow Region Vidnoje.
Jackson: The climate is amazing. It’s definitely different to Russia, where I had to wear ski boots everywhere and worry about slipping and breaking my legs on the ice. But Valencia is a lovely city, the people. And I think, too, you get a little bit more mature with age and I’ve sort of prepared myself to get over and be ready for a long seven months. It is a long seven months, a long season. But I’m going to have fun. I’m sure the loss to Prague in the EuroLeague Women was a tiny little hiccup on a long road but you win some, you lose some.

FIBA: Looking ahead to London again, are you going to be as hungry as you’ve ever been? Will you have your game face on?
Jackson: Absolutely. I think when I have the right preparation and am with the national team, they know how to work my body and make sure I’m fit and mainly healthy going in. I think at the moment, I’m as hungry as I’ve ever been to be the best that I can be. That’s something that I feel very positive about.

FIBA