‘He’s Almost Too Good to Be True’ : Boys’ basketball: Western guard Jackson, a remarkable individual both on and off the court, hopes to help North beat favored South tonight.

Greg Hoffman, the boys’ basketball coach at Western High School, said it was obvious from the first day Chris Jackson stepped on campus four years ago that he was special.

Hoffman remembers a 14-year-old freshman who was wise beyond his years. He marveled at Jackson’s combination of mental toughness and sensitivity.

“He was a 14-year-old kid who talked like a man,” Hoffman said. “He showed great depth, sensitivity and character. Right away, it was obvious that Chris had as much character as anybody I’ve ever met.”

Jackson was introduced to Western’s hard-nosed brand of basketball on the school’s outdoor courts during the summer before his freshman season. Greg Haskell, then Western’s freshman coach, routinely scheduled three-hour practices on the asphalt courts.

“It had to be 104 degrees on the asphalt that summer,” Haskell said. “When the others wanted to quit, Chris Jackson kept going. He was so tough, I couldn’t believe it.”

Jackson said he had no inclination of what to expect during his freshman season.

“I had no idea about the Western basketball program, and I didn’t even know what Coach Hoffman looked like,” he said. “I never saw him until he walked into freshman practice one day. We had all heard things about Coach Hoffman . . . how he yelled and screamed. But Coach Haskell was pretty much the same kind of coach.”

Jackson was the starting center on the freshman team but made a successful transition to his natural position at guard as a sophomore on the junior varsity. He became a varsity starter as a junior and has helped Western win two consecutive Orange League championships.

Jackson was the top scorer for Western this season, averaging 14.7 points in leading the Pioneers to 18 victories. Jackson said the season was the highlight of his basketball career.

“We weren’t nearly as talented as the team I played on my junior year,” he said. “But we played tough, smart and outhustled everybody. It was a very rewarding season. We proved everyone wrong by winning the league. I’ll always cherish that.”

Jackson will take a curtain call at 7:30 tonight as a member of the North team that will participate in the 27th Orange County all-star basketball game at Cypress College. Once again, he’s cast in the role of the underdog to a highly favored South team.

“We’re the underdogs, but then I’m used to that by now,” he said. “Defense will be a big factor. I think we’re going to surprise some people.”

Jackson’s talents aren’t limited to the basketball court. He’s Western’s student body president and finds similarities between politics and athletics.

“I like the team concept that’s involved in running the school,” he said. “I like being involved and organizing activities.”

Jackson helped to organize Homecoming Week and the school’s winter formal. He was among the hosts for “Open House” last week and is busy putting the final touches on Senior Week scheduled in early June.

Jackson will graduate with honors (he has a 4.2 grade-point average). He has applied to UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, Pepperdine, Oregon, UC Irvine and the Air Force Academy and plans to major in pre-medicine.

Jackson also enjoys playing the piano. He started piano lessons when he was 7 and then began playing in church. Today, he has a variety of musical interests ranging from classical to jazz.

“He’s almost too good to be true,” Hoffman said.

Jackson said he owes a lot to his parents, Robert and Linda, and gives them credit for helping him develop into a well-rounded student-athlete.

“My parents always pushed me to be the best that I could be,” Jackson said. “My father always told me, ‘You can be whatever you want to be if you put your mind to it.”’

Hoffman has his mind set on greatness for Jackson.

“I’ve said many times that Chris Jackson will be the first black president of the United States,” he said.

Boys’ Game Notes

The South leads the series, 15-11, and won last year’s game, 116-108, despite a 27-point performance by North guard Tes Whitlock of Loara. There was no game in 1969. “They’ll (South) beat us by 35 points,” said North Coach Greg Hoffman of Western. “We can’t score. We don’t have anyone to match up against Gavin Vanderputten (Trabuco Hills center), Matt Fuerbringer (Estancia forward) or Brandon Jessie (Edison forward).” Vanderputten, the 6-foot-10 exchange student from Australia, is still unsigned and has drawn a crowd at South practice sessions. Coaches from Fresno State, Utah and Syracuse attended Tuesday night’s practice. . . . South guard Darren Gravley of Laguna Beach has been slowed by the flu. . . . The North was impressive in a scrimmage Wednesday against Cypress, allowing only 21 points in the first half. Guard Reggie Geary of Mater Dei, the county’s player of the year, has been the best player in the North camp. The game should be high scoring, with a 30-second shot clock.