There was, of course, the quest for a career, one that would bring riches and success. But there was a base instinct behind Jackson's occupation of the sports fields: he wanted to stay off the streets and stay out of trouble.
"It was rough," Jackson said of growing up in Sacramento, "but my parents always found a way for me to be active and keep me out of the streets. There were always obstacles but I liked to play and that was just what I had to do if I wanted to stay out of the way.
"It was just about making sure you hung out with the right people. Or if you had bad friends who did the wrong sort of stuff, it was about trying to stay out of the way and making sure they didn't make you do something you didn't want to do."
That was especially imperative in Jackson's nascent years in basketball, when organised games were eschewed in favour of pick up hoops on street courts. Negative influences abounded and, coming from a family full of love but short of means, plenty of easy ways out existed.
But the qualities that later in life would make him such an appealing prospect to the Breakers - a propensity for hard work, a willingness to do the little things to improve - were the same traits that saw Jackson steer away from a darker path and saw his raw talent bloom.
The crucial guidance of a cousin, whom Jackson credits as his biggest influence, pushed him towards the team at Grant Union High School, where aged 14 he swiftly adopted the intricacies of organised basketball, owing his rapid progress on the court to a lifelong ability to learn quickly.
CHARLES JACKSON - BIGGEST INFLUENCE ON MY CAREER
University then saw Jackson excel as a freshman at nearby Lassen College, being named MVP on a conference-winning team, before shifting to the College of Southern Idaho and eventually being recruited by a Division 1 school.
It was at Tennessee Tech where Jackson became the player the Breakers now possess, with a growth spurt sparking the type of athleticism that is sure to produce plenty of highlights at Vector Arena and the NSEC this season. Standing 2.08m, Jackson started 30 games for the Golden Eagles, averaging 13.0 points, 9.5 rebounds and ranking eighth in all of Division 1 with 18 double-doubles.
"I learned more about basketball from going to college," Jackson said. "And I met a lot of people, a lot of lifetime friends. It helped me a lot and being able to play at a Division 1 school was a great accomplishment."
While an NBA contract proved elusive after his efforts with the Philadelphia 76ers at Summer League, an unexpected opportunity arose when Vickerman came calling.
Fresh out of school, having only recently celebrated his 22nd birthday, shifting halfway around the world must have loomed as a daunting move. But Jackson looked past the hurdles to recognise the Breakers' Atlas Place gym as the ideal location to develop his game in search of the grand goal.
"I felt like it was going to be the best way for me to get better," he said. "I researched it a little bit and they looked like a great programme, like they were together as a family. That was the main thing - they have unity.
"To be able to head back to the US and play at the highest level, the NBA, I felt like this was the best thing for me to do."
Jackson never attempted to conceal the level of desire he holds for that ultimate destination but, similarly, the Breakers have never professed anything other than a willingness to help their players reach the highest possible level.
Be it the Summer League stints of Cedric Jackson and Tom Abercrombie, or Corey Webster's current experience at the New Orleans Pelicans, the Kiwi club have established themselves as a legitimate pathway to the top, even if, as Webster's extended absence surely will, it hinders their own hopes.
But whether or not the shooting guard returns to their ranks, the target remains the same. And it's one of which Jackson is well aware, having been treated to a viewing of last year's triumph and subsequent celebrations shortly after arriving in Auckland.
One piece of a big man puzzle that included Mika Vukona, Alex Pledger and Tai Wesley, Jackson was unsure of his exact playing role ahead of Wednesday's opener in Adelaide. But he needed only look around the locker room to learn of his chief responsibilities.
"We have to just come back in and just do the same things," he said. "It's mainly the same group of guys, so I just have to follow their lead and go down the right path to be a winning team again. That's my main goal - just follow their lead because they've done it already and I haven't."
Charles Jackson
Born: Sacramento, California
Age: 22
Height: 2.08m
Position: Power forward/centre
College: Tennessee Tech
Breakers debut: Wednesday night, against the 36ers in Adelaide
