Peterson: Grief-stricken Donovan Jackson poured his soul into Wednesday night’s game

AMES, Ia. — You could tell right from the start that this wasn’t going to be your run-of-the-mill Iowa State men’s basketball game — and that’s not even including the fact that just seven players were available.

This 89-83 Cyclones loss against TCU was all about the grief-stricken Donovan Jackson — who was off-the-charts good on this night, with 27 points and four assists.

From the minute players started trickling onto the floor 90 minutes before the game wearing shirts with a big "DJ" on the front ...

To when Jackson finally joined them, somberly walking past reporters with the top of his red hoodie hiding his head ...

To the pregame captain’s meeting — when Jackson spent most of that half-court session starring downward at the big I-State logo ...

To when he broke down on the postgame interview room podium . . .

This one was different.

Jackson’s father died last Saturday night, not long after Jackson got back to town following the Cyclones' loss at Kansas State. The funeral is Saturday. Iowa State will be minus it’s slickest shooter at West Virginia.

Big deal. Some things are bigger than whether the Cyclones finish ninth or 10th in the Big 12 Conference. This is a real-life, family-first situation, a time when there’s more to life than 3-point baskets, fancy passes and jockeying for what time you’re playing on a Wednesday in the conference tournament.

This was Jackson’s night.

“I know he’s watching from above,” Jackson said before understandably breaking down for a moment.

Coach Steve Prohm said he didn’t have to go on, but Jackson had more to say.

“I know he’s watching from above. I know he’s not going to call me," Donovan continued. "I have to do everything that he told me I had to do.”

Throughout it all, Jackson was wonderful Wednesday — as his family continued to mourn back home in Milwaukee.

Talk about playing with a heavy heart ...

The senior guard swished a 3-pointer on his first shot.

He fired a nifty fastbreak pass that resulted in a Cameron Lard dunk, but there’s more.

With time running out on the shot clock and with a hand in his face, Jackson’s bailout 3-pointer gave Iowa State a 36-25 lead.

Jackson had 13 points within the first 14 minutes, exactly his entire 33-minute total last Saturday in Manhattan, but there’s more.

He whipped a baseline sideline-to-the-other-sideline pass that somehow reached Jakolby Long without anyone knocking it out of bounds.

The response?

Three-point swish from the corner, and Iowa State led 47-41 at the half.

Seventeen first-half points for the gritty and determined Jackson. Three assists and a steal, too.

“You just knew Donovan would play an unbelievable game for his family and for his dad,” TCU coach Jamie Dixon said. “I have so much respect for him. I feel for him.”

This was the first game after Nick Weiler-Babb and his bad left knee shut down for the rest of the season. It was the first game since Solomon Young went under the knife to repair torn meniscus in his left knee.

It didn’t matter.

This was about their heartbroken buddy, their senior leader who won’t have his father by his side during next Tuesday’s Senior Night at Hilton Coliseum.

This was Donovan Jackson.

Prohm hugged him near the Iowa State bench midway in the first quarter — and Jackson was still in the game.

“I was just trying to get him at peace a little bit,” Prohm said. “I did what every coach would have done.”

TCU’s Alex Robinson said something to Jackson near the top of the free-throw circle as Lard was shooting two free throws.

Robinson patted Jackson on the chest. Jackson, intently watching the result of Lard’s second free throw, smiled.

Later, Dixon patted Jackson on the backside as he limped passed the Horned Frogs bench after injuring his right leg with 6 minutes, 6 seconds to play.

Some among the Hilton crowd gave him a well-deserved standing ovation. They cheered even louder when he returned 90 seconds later and his team trailing 78-72.

Zoran Talley scored Jr. Lindell Wigginton nailed a three (after a Jackson assist, of course), and the Cyclones were within a point with 4 minutes left.

That’s as close as the score got, but really, the outcome didn’t matter nearly as much as what’s happening right now in Jackson’s life.

“I know he’d want me to come out here and compete,” Jackson said. “He always told me to attack the basket, attack the basket and get to the free-throw line.”

Dad smiled down on that one; his son was 9-for-10 from the stripe.

“I know he’s happy about that,” Jackson said.

Every TCU player, even guys that didn’t play, hugged him while passing through the handshake line.

Dixon got into the act, too, and as he walked off the floor, Jackson waved to an appreciative crowd.

They, too, knew it was his night.

Iowa State columnist Randy Peterson has been with the Register for parts of five decades. Randy writes opinion and analysis of Iowa State football and basketball. You can reach Randy at rpeterson@dmreg.com or on Twitter at @RandyPete.