Baylor Basketball: Why Guards Pierre Jackson and Brady Heslip Are Key in March

Perry Jones III may be the most talked about player for Baylor's basketball team, but it is not only his play that will determine how far the Bears make it in the NCAA Tournament.

Yes, he is an important member of this team, but with Baylor's depth at the forward position, it will be the performance of its two guards, Pierre Jackson and Brady Heslip, that will make or break this squad.

Both Pierre Jackson, a junior from Las Vegas, Nevada, and Brady Heslip, a sophomore from Burlington, Ontario, are first-year members of Baylor.

Jackson first took his talent to the College of Southern Idaho, a junior college, where he was integral in leading his school to the 2011 NJCAA Division I National Title.

Heslip, on the other hand, decided to transfer from Boston College (where he did not play) in June of 2010 before training with Canada’s Development National Team.

Now, both of these men are Baylor Bears and head coach Scott Drew and company are grateful to have them.

Just looking from a statistics point of view, Jackson is averaging 12.7 points, 5.7 assists and almost two steals per game. Heslip is bringing home 9.4 points per game and is sinking 44.3 percent of three-point shots.

Looking past that to their performances on the court, these two play with very different styles that compliment the rest of the team quite effectively.

Jackson, a finalist for the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year award, deservedly earned himself a starting guard position a few games into the conference schedule.

Standing at only 5’10’’, he is a playmaker on all ends of the floor and his non-conference resume is enough to prove that.

With a few seconds left on the clock against BYU in December, Baylor’s first road test, Jackson came out of nowhere to block 6’9’’ forward Brandon Davies' three-point game-tying attempt.

One week later, he would post a pivotal 23-point performance against West Virginia in overtime in Baylor’s second nail-biter of the season. Five days after that, he bullied through the defense of Mississippi State to sink the game-winning layup with 29 seconds remaining.

Jackson made an immediate impact for the Bears, but his high level of play has also continued throughout the conference season.

He is still putting up huge numbers on a consistent basis, but more importantly, Jackson is now seen as one of the leaders of Baylor’s offense. He is the first player to touch the ball and is usually seen directing teammates and calling plays, a sense of leadership this Baylor squad has been sorely lacking.

He also has a certain trait not seen in some players on the college level: He gives a 100-percent effort, regardless of the score.

Baylor started the season on a 17-game winning streak. The Bears would eventually lose five games, four to Kansas and Missouri and one to Kansas State.

In those five losses, Jackson had a total of 41 assists (including a season-high 15 against Missouri) and 61 points, clearly showing that regardless of his team’s position in a game, Jackson will fight to his fullest extent.

Pierre Jackson may be the offensive leader of the team, but Brady Heslip is one of Baylor’s best playmakers.

Heslip, nicknamed Downtown Canadian, is a sniper from the three-point line, making at least one (but usually more) in his first 13 games of this year. However, by the beginning of the conference season, teams started to suffocate Heslip on defense and his productivity decreased.

Now, Heslip has adapted and has become an integral part of Baylor’s second-half offense.

Multiple times this season, Baylor has gone into the half with a single-digit lead or deficit. Upon coming out of the locker room, Baylor now runs numerous three-point plays, all directed at Heslip, and he is able to drop six to nine points in a quick fashion.

This momentum has been game-changing in some cases and Brady Heslip’s shooting from the arc is to thank. 

Most of Baylor’s basketball attention is directed toward the powerful forwards they have.

However, with the game shifting towards perimeter shooting and increased play calling, the performance by Baylor’s best point guards will be key to winning in March.

Pierre Jackson and Brady Heslip may be new to the Bears, but they have already shown their importance to Baylor Nation.