Maree Jackson (''née'' Bennie) (born 11 October 1954) is a retired Australian

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player.

Biography

The 6 ft 2in Jackson played for the Australia women's national basketball team during the 1970s and competed for Australia at the 1975 World Championship held in

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

and the 1979 World Championship held in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

. Following a 1976 tour of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

with the New South Wales state basketball team, Jackson accepted a physical education

scholarship A scholarship is a form of Student financial aid, financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, Multiculturalism, diversity and inclusion, athleti ...

to play basketball with

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

.Dexter, Nancy (26 July 1979)
''Top basketballer is tangled in red tape''
The Age. Retrieved 2012-12-15. As a

sophomore In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of Post-secondary school, post-secondary educatio ...

in 1978, Jackson scored 1,021 points (25.5 ppg) and grabbed 539 rebounds (13.5 rpg). The 1,021 points and 539 rebounds are the most in both

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central United States, South Central and Southeastern United States. Its 16 members in ...

(SEC) and LSU history for one season. In just two seasons with the Lady Tigers, Jackson scored 1,852 points which places her third on the all-time scoring list. She also finished her career as the second leading rebounder in LSU history with 1,032 rebounds. For her career, Jackson averaged 26.4 points a game, which still stands as the SEC record.Louisiana State University
2005-2006 Women's Basketball (page 9)
Media Guide. Retrieved 2012-12-15. Jackson and Julie Gross were the first Australian females to win

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

n honours while playing college basketball in the United States. That year, Jackson also won a place in the US national side. Jackson turned down several lucrative offers to turn

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who work (human activity), works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the partic ...

so she could return to Australia to play for the Opals at

1980 Moscow Olympics The 1980 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad () and officially branded as Moscow 1980 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1980 in Moscow, Soviet Union, in present-day Russ ...

. However, following the pre-Olympic Qualification Tournament, the Opals failed in their bid to qualify for the games. Following a women's national tournament in Sydney in 1972, Jackson met fellow Australian basketballer and future husband, Gary Jackson. Their first-born, Lauren Jackson, would become the number 1 pick in the 2001 WNBA draft and would go on to become Australia's most successful and decorated basketball player. In 2006, Maree Jackson was inducted into Australia's Basketball Hall of Fame.Maree Jackson
Basketball Australia. Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2012-12-15. The National Junior Championship trophy for under 18 women is also named in her honour.

LSU statistics

Source

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Maree 1954 births Living people Australian women's basketball players LSU Tigers women's basketball players Sportswomen from Victoria (state) 20th-century Australian sportswomen