Basketball: Breakers new recruit ready to make mark

Cedric Jackson of the Sky City NZ Breakers tries to get by Larry Davidson of the Wollongong Hawks. Photo / APN

Breakers import Cedric Jackson certainly makes a good first impression.

The quietly-spoken, polite and, perhaps even a little shy, 25-year-old American has been compared to a young Tony Parker - a compliment he finds very flattering and a little embarrassing.

The point guard also has a impressive playing resume, which includes brief stints with NBA sides the Cleveland Cavaliers, the San Antonio Spurs and the Washington Wizards.

He has the pedigree to perform in the ANBL and, while he has been with the club only two weeks, he has already made a strong impression.

He played a key role in the back-to-back pre-season wins over the Wollongong Hawks and coach Andrej Lemanis, while cautious not to rush to judgement, said Jackson was living up to his billing.

"Certainly what we've seen so far - we like," Lemanis said.

"He is a good guy, he plays within the team structure, he is very quick and he is good at the defence end as well. He anticipates very well and reads the game well."

For Jackson's part, he is still trying to adjust to his new surroundings and find his voice - something he promises to do when he gets on court.

"I'm only quiet because this is a new place for me," he said.

"I'm not my total self just yet but once I'm on the court all of that changes. I have to be vocal, I have to be a leader out there and just put the team in the right situation."

While Lemanis was busy scouting Jackson's game tapes before recruiting him, Jackson did some research of his own.

"I hadn't heard anything about New Zealand but did some research and heard it was a good place to play.

"It was a bit of a shock when I got here and I realised everybody drives on the opposite side of the road."

Jackson was born in New Mexico but grew up in Maryland and honed his craft in New Jersey. He got his big break in January last year when he signed a 10-day contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers. It was the beginning of a whirlwind three months which saw him play for another two NBA clubs including the Spurs, where he was called into the squad to replace an injured Tony Parker.

His speed and uncanny ability to get to the rim drew comparisons with the man he was replacing.

So, to, did his outside game. Parker struggled from the outside early in his career and Jackson admits he is constantly working on improving that area of his game.

His NBA experience has left him hungry for more and with a better understanding of what it takes to succeed at that level.

"It was a great experience to have the opportunity to play with some of the all-time greats like LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal and Tim Duncan and guys like that.

"I hope that I can get back there. That is always the dream. For right now, I'm concentrating on my team down here and trying to bring back another championship."

It is not Parker people want to compare Jackson with downunder, but rather Breakers star Kirk Penney, who has left the club to play in Spain.

"Everybody asks me how will I fill Kirk Penney's shoes and how do I feel about that. We are two different players. He is an awesome shooter and I'm a point guard who gets guys going and I score in various ways.

So you can't really compare us."