Rickea Jackson makes clear ‘tenacious’ change in mindset ahead of sophomore season (EXCLUSIVE)

Modified Apr 15, 2025 14:51 GMT

Basketball: Unrivaled-Mist at Lunar Owls - Source: Imagn — Rickea Jackson makes clear ‘tenacious’ change in mindset ahead of sophomore season (EXCLUSIVE)s - Source: Imagn

Rickea Jackson was not the most impressive member of the WNBA's 2024 rookie class, but had a strong debut season with the Los Angeles Sparks, albeit the team having the league's worst record. She earned a place on the WNBA's All-Rookie team with Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese as one of the best from the previous year's rookie class.

Rickea Jackson will play her second year with the Sparks after spending the off-season polishing her game and competing in the first season of Unrivaled, a new 3v3 league established by WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier. She was able to learn from both Stewart and Jewell Loyd, which should serve her well as she returns to the WNBA.

As told by Sportskeeda's Mark Medina, Rickea Jackson is grateful for her rookie season experiences and the fact that she was able to learn from veteran players in the offseason. As she prepares for her sophomore season, though, Jackson is ready to make a strong statement on both ends of the floor.

"I want to be more tenacious on the defensive end," Jackson told Medina. "I want to hunt for my shot more on the offensive end and rebounding way better. It's definitely about upping the pace and upping the competition level."

Rickea Jackson's mind seems to be in the right place as she gets ready for her second season as a professional. After spending a season in Unrivaled with an all-time great in Stewart, Los Angeles Sparks fans are hoping that their young forward can emulate some of the same dominance on both ends of the court as the future Hall of Famer.

How will Rickea Jackson's mindset impact the Los Angeles Sparks?

While Rickea Jackson is expected to improve in her second season as a pro and Dearica Hamby looks to maintain her scoring after a career year, the Los Angeles Sparks will have a new look heading into the 2025 season. They will welcome back former second overall pick Cameron Brink after an ACL injury ended her rookie season and now have All-Star guard Kelsey Plum to run the show.

The additions of Brink, Plum and ninth overall pick Sarah Ashlee Barker make the Los Angeles Sparks one of the WNBA's interesting teams heading into regular season, but Rickea Jackson's aggressiveness on the interior could go a long way in determining the teams success. If she can improve her three-point shooting, for example, she and Brink form a formidable frontcourt pairing.

While Jackson isn't expected to be one of the Sparks' leaders in the 2025 season, her approach has the team optimistic about how far she can take her game and propel the team to success. If Jackson's offseason and conversation with Mark Medina are anything to go off of, the Sparks could enjoy one of the more impressive turnarounds in recent history.

About the author

Zachary Howell is an NBA and WNBA journalist at Sportskeeda with a degree in Broadcast and Digital Journalism from Syracuse University and over a year of experience in the field.

Being introduced to the digital side of content inspired Zachary to become a writer, and his love of basketball made this an obvious transition.

His favorite team is the OKC Thunder, and Zachary started following them in 2011 when they were on the rise with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden. His favorite basketball players from the past are Tim Duncan, Michael Jordan and Shaquille O'Neal. Those three came to define their eras of basketball and were dominant without beating their chests too much. Zachary is a big fan of quiet greatness and these three players are good embodiments of that.

When not writing or watching sports, Zachary enjoys reading and exercising, as well as gaming. He loves to be outside and spend time with friends and family, including his three dogs.

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Edited by Zachary Howell