September early tip off for basketball starter

Knox College student Jason Maclin admits that when he was a child, before he grew up to his 6 ft. 4 in. stature, he wanted to be 'like Mike.' "It was Chicago and the middle of the 1990s. I was like a lot of kids. I wanted to be like Michael Jordan. Gatorade commercials and all," he says.

Most would say that Maclin did just that. His smooth moves on the court and jumping the boards have earned him a place on the All-Midwest Conference's first team. And his legendary stats have made Maclin the number one starter for the Prairie Fire. He is the only player to finish in the top five in the MWC in points, rebounds and assists for the 2006-07 season. It is his ability to make key plays and his explosive speed with the ball that have defended his title as fourth leading scorer in Knox's history and second in the MWC in scoring.

But during fall term, Maclin took home-court advantage to a new level and traded making key plays for making night-before lesson plans for a high school English class and drama class.

Maclin, a senior with a double major in English and education, spent his fall term student teaching at his high school alma mater, Kenwood Academy, in Chicago.

On the other bench
"I enjoyed it. It was very rewarding to work with my former teachers. I got a different view of things. I saw what it was like from the other side, and I found out that teaching is not easy. It takes hard work and dedication to be a successful teacher knowing that you influence other lives."

If winning basketball games comes from hard work and dedication, Maclin carries that play outside the zone of the basketball court. "I tell the kids that just like training, good grades come from hard work. Eighty-five percent of the grades come from your homework. You have to do your homework."

Maclin says he knew he could be successful [at basketball] when he realized that he had the drive and determination to put in the countless hours of practice to "work on weaknesses." Everybody sees him perform during game time, but Maclin says there is more to the game than delivering points in two 20-minute halves. "That's what everyone gets to see. But nobody sees the off-season training, getting up early and running in 95 degree heat. It doesn't just happen." Maclin follows the same lesson plan in the classroom and gives his classes an early tip to succeeding at whatever they chose to do. "I tell the kids that they constantly have to put in the time. In class they only have 50 minutes to learn. That's not a long time. Most of the work falls on the students preparing for class. The grades come from completing homework, showing up for class, and not giving the teacher a hard time."

Scoring big
Maclin says he enjoyed his student teaching experience, and picked up the ball after just a week of observation. "I didn't want to be preachy though, and I don't think you need to yell at them.  It wasn't too long ago that I was in their seat. I got a lot of good feedback. Drama was new to me and although all of the work was done in the classroom, the students enjoyed my attitude.  I really related to them."

While being popular is important to teenagers, Maclin says he wanted to convince the students that they did not have to sacrifice social standing for good grades. "It's okay to be cool, but do the work at the same time. They can't let their desire to be popular hurt their school work."

Maclin recognizes the importance of connecting with the kids. "When I was in high school, I had people who took an interest in how I was doing. They had a real interest in my life, my dreams. I still keep in touch with two teachers in particular."

In his four-year career with the Knox Prairie Fire, Maclin appeared in 93 basketball games and made 76 starts. He is fourth all-time at Knox in points, fourth in free throw percentage and seventh in rebounding. He has done his homework and made the grade. With his elite talents, he has also taken a group of high school student's full court to making huge academic shots at key life learning moments.