South Georgia - In The Game High School Sports Magazine

Dr. Eric Holland, an assistant principal at Tift County High and the head basketball coach at Eighth Street Middle School in Tifton, has been a coach for 10 years. At previous stops, he’s coached football and basketball, won state titles, and has had several players play football professionally.

And the best athlete he’s ever coached is Eighth Street Middle eighth-grader Tadric Jackson.

Tadric is a 6’1”, 175-pound quarterback and point guard for Eighth Street’s football and basketball teams. He’s regarded as one of the Class of 2014’s top basketball players in the state, and a Washington, D.C., journalist who has seen middle school athletes all over the country has called Tadric one of the best quarterbacks he’s ever seen. “He’s the real deal. He has the potential to be a big-time player,” says Dr. Holland.

Tadric grew up in Turner County, playing football, basketball and baseball. Dr. Holland, who was also in Turner County for several years, has been Tadric’s basketball coach since he was in the sixth grade. Tadric’s family recognized his talent and wanted him to play on a stage larger than the one in Ashburn. Following his seventh grade year, they decided to move to Tifton. In an interesting twist, Dr. Holland had applied for an administrative job at Tift County High. He was offered the job and accepted. Player and coach were heading to Tifton and both have been happy with the move. “I like it here. The school is nice, and I love atmosphere around the sports programs,” says Tadric.

Of the three sports Tadric plays, he lists basketball as his favorite. He was a part of two middle school championships at Turner County and would like to win another title in Tifton. Before that can happen, he’s got to get over a devastating ankle injury he suffered during football season. The injury came during the middle school championship game. Eighth Street Middle was playing Coffee Middle School, a team Eighth Street had beaten 42-7 earlier in the season. When the two teams met again for the title, CMS had changed its defense and made several key adjustments. The game was a dogfight from start to finish, and CMS ended up winning 8-7. In the third quarter, Tadric tucked the ball and headed for the sideline. As he was making his turn, a Coffee defender dove for his feet and caught his ankle in just the right place. Tadric went down with a cracked growth plate. Doctors inserted several screws into the ankle, and at the time of this interview, Tadric was two days away from having the screws removed. He faced a three-week recovery period after the procedure. He expected to be back at 100 percent at the end of those three weeks. “We hope to have him back by the end of the season. We want to win a championship, and we hope he will be back by then,” says Dr. Holland.

Holland has taken Tadric to a number of high-profile camps, and Tadric always impresses everyone at each respective camp. A quick search of Tadric’s name on YouTube reveals several highlight films. As you watch each one, it’s very easy to forget that the player on the screen is an eighth-grader. Tadric plays with the poise of a much older, more experienced athlete. He glides up and down the court effortlessly and takes flight with ease. He plays above the rim, and has no problem slashing his way to the basket. Tadric’s first step is devastating, and he loves making defenders look silly. “He’s the total package,” remarks Dr. Holland.

Tadric has had a number of “Wow!” moments on the basketball court, but maybe his most impressive play came in practice. When Tadric was a sixth-grader, Dr. Holland invited him to practice with the older kids. They were playing a game in practice, and Tadric’s squad was down by five near the end of the drill. He gathered the rest of the team together and informed them that under no circumstances would they lose. He then took the ball down the floor and launched – and made – a three. The defense held, and only down by two, Tadric brought the ball down again. He drove the baseline, and a 6’7” player on the other team slid over to stop the drive. What happened next defied description, even for a veteran coach like Holland. Tadric left the ground and soared to the basket. He threw down a punishing dunk on the defender, and held on to the rim with his knees around his opponents’ head. “We had to stop practice for half an hour. He did that off one dribble. I’ve never seen anything like it – a player that young dunk on someone 6’7”. It was vicious,” remembers Holland.

Tadric’s favorite dunk came in a summer game this year. He made his move to the basket and a 6’3” defender tried to thwart Tadric’s effort. Tadric jumped and cleared the defender, all the while making the dunk. “He charged and I went over him. I didn’t touch him,” he says.

As for his future, Tadric is a little unsure what he plans to do. He would like to play basketball in college and beyond. It’s not an unrealistic goal – scouts at the summer camps all believe he has the chance to play professionally if he continues to develop. He enjoys football, but he doesn’t want an injury to sideline his basketball career. He’s flirted with that this year, and it hasn’t been a fun experience. Still, Dr. Holland sees him playing football. “He will probably be the starting quarterback next year. He’s a lefty, he can throw the ball 75 yards and he can run. He has deceptive speed. He may not look like the fastest guy on the field, but nobody catches him. He runs as fast as he has to,” he says. Tadric also plays some baseball, but he probably won’t pursue that sport in high school. It’s not because he can’t – in his first middle school game after taking a few years off from the diamond, Tadric threw seven innings, gave up one run, went 4-5 and hit two home runs. He finished the season with seven homers. Once Tadric finishes playing with his school team, he joins his AAU squad and travels the country playing basketball. Because of that commitment, he wouldn’t be able to play baseball.

Tadric is a good student who knows that he has to do well in the classroom in order to play sports. He aspires to attend the University of North Carolina, after which he would like to play in the NBA. He realizes he can’t get into UNC, or any other Division I school, if the grades aren’t there. “I know I have to make good grades to play sports. So I make good grades,” he says.

Players across the country look good when they’re in middle school. Coaches and scouts are often quick to label 13- and 14-year-olds as potential pro prospects. Most of the time, it’s just hype. That’s not the case with Tadric. “People really think he be a pro basketball player. He can really play,” says Dr. Holland. In case you don’t believe him, take a look at a few of those YouTube clips. You’ll be glad you did. •