Sports Spotlight - Windermere Observer: Jackson Dillon

As a sophomore, Olympia High’s Jackson Dillon has been a driving force on the court for the Titans’ boys basketball team. After being promoted to the varsity team this year, Dillon — also a star student with a 4.8 weighted GPA — has been consistent in his three-point shots, having made eight of them in just one game. 

How did you get started playing basketball?

About first grade, I was watching the Cleveland Cavaliers versus the Orlando Magic — my parents put me onto it. Once I started watching it, it just clicked, and suddenly I was in love with the sport. From then on, I picked up the ball and started playing on my Little Tikes hoop, and I loved it.

What’s kept you going within the sport?

Definitely shooting three-pointers, because that’s kind of like my main attribute. I just love the guys as well — my teams in middle school and also high school. I’m thankful for the coaching staff — all of them have really accepted me my freshman year and also this year.

Describe the team dynamic this season.

At first it was kind of iffy with us, because there were a lot of seniors leaving and some new players. But as the team started to progress and go through the season, especially during the winter time, I feel like we definitely started to gain more chemistry with each other and kind of accept our roles as players. That’s definitely moved us in the right direction.

How do you feel about your personal progress this season?

At first, I was supposed to play JV this year, so I was kind of set on playing JV. But then I got moved up for the preseason tournament. I played extremely well then, and that’s what kind of flipped the switch for me and got me going. … I’ve definitely progressed since the fall and gained my confidence again. I just can’t thank the coaching staff and my team enough for the opportunity.

Was there a game that stuck out to you?

Definitely Winter Park — I hit eight three-pointers against Winter Park, and it was just one of those games where I was feeling it the whole night. My teammates did an amazing job setting me up then.

How do you balance school and basketball?

It’s hard. I’m in the APEX program right now, so I’m getting about two hours of homework a night. My time management has gotten better throughout the year. Normally I go to practice, come home and start my homework and try to get to bed to stay on a good sleep schedule.

What’s your favorite go-to meal after a game?

I’ve gotta go with a Publix sub, probably. Normally, I have those before games, as well, but a roast-beef sandwich, that’s good. Also, Jimmy John’s. I like them a lot, too.

What do you want to do after high school?

I’m thinking about, depending on how basketball goes, going into a computer engineering kind of thing. I’ve loved computers forever — video games and listening to music and all that — so computers have kind of been my hobby since middle school.

Do you prefer Mac or PC?

I’m gonna have to go with PC, just because I’ve used PC all of my life, and Mac I’ve been in and out using it here and there. I’ve always been using Windows computer, so I have to go with those.

Any hobbies outside of basketball?

I play video games, but I also make music sometimes. I played piano for about four years, and I forgot about it. I regret forgetting about it, because I came back to it. I just kind of make my own melodies myself and produce music with the computer.