Senior guard Maceo Jack stands lone as the longest tenured active member – athlete or coach – of the men’s basketball program.
In his three years with the Colonials, Jack has played 2,283 minutes, netted 821 points and fired at a 39.7 percent clip. He said this season is his last chance to establish himself in GW men’s basketball history as not only an elite player but as a core teammate who left the team better than he found it.
“It’s my last chance I get at this to try and make it right,” he said. “I’ve been approaching this very seriously and that sort of mindset that I want to accomplish something that I can leave behind as a legacy. I don’t want my name to be forgotten after all the work I’ve put in.”
Jack is one of seven upperclassmen on the team, but he’s played at GW the longest. Jack said he wants to be remembered as one of the “better” student-athletes to play at the Smith Center.
“I want to be remembered as someone that was a great teammate, that was the hardest worker on the team,” Jack said. “I just want to be remembered as someone that gave it his all, no matter what the circumstances were.”
To put himself on the map, Jack said he wants to best his single-season record of made triples after sinking 83 last season. He added that he wants to earn spots on the Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team and All-Defensive Team, feats a Colonial hasn’t achieved since 2006 and 2018, respectively.
“I’m striving to better myself offensively and defensively, at a level like that it will only elevate my team, and my teammates will rise with me, and hopefully win an A-10 Championship,” Jack said. “I think those fit into the team goals very well.”
Jack joined the program as a freshman in 2017, hailing from St. Thomas More School in Buffalo, New York. Jack said his adaptability helped him navigate his career at GW, which spans two head coaches and dozens of different teammates.
His go-with-the-flow approach has allowed him to adjust to different play styles and overcome performance challenges, he said. During the first half of his debut season, he played sporadically, typically seeing four or five minutes per game. But by the close of the season, he had worked himself into the team’s regular lineup.
“I could have gone into a place freshman year where I just decided, ‘You know what? This isn’t for me,’” Jack said. “But I decided to respond to adversity, and that’s something I’ve been very proud of myself for.”
His slow start last season was another moment Jack said he needed to overcome. He started the year averaging 9.6 points in his first five games. But he broke through with a 20-plus point performance against Evansville and went on to have the best offensive season of his career. Jack ended last season with 83 triples and 375 points scored.
“I was thinking, ‘This is my junior year. I should be able to be performing better than this,’” Jack said. “And then I was like, ‘You know what? It’s not going to be perfect. It’s not going to be scripted.’”
Head coach Jamion Christian said Jack was foundational to the team’s dynamic last season. He added that his teammates see him as their “cousin or uncle,” but whatever label he’s given, Jack’s viewed as a leader on the squad.
“He’s a guy that everybody leans on,” Christian said. “He’s just a tremendous person, a tremendous teammate. And I think one of the best things about Maceo is that the guys recognize that he’s been through some battles here, and he’s really overcome a ton of things here, and they love that about him.”
Sophomore guard Jameer Nelson Jr. described Jack as a “big brother” and an even bigger influence on his time at GW.
“He’s a guy to throw the ball to who will throw it up and make it,” Nelson Jr. said. “He’s always been a big brother to me. He’s always looked out for me, and he’s always made sure I’ve been straight.”
Sophomore forward Jamison Battle said Jack showed him the ropes of basketball and campus life during his first year. He added that Jack’s investment in the younger players have improved their play on the court and provided leadership.
“When I first came here, he took me under his wing, and he was a guy who helped me understand GW, helped me to find my place here,” he said. “And I think he was a big influence on me. He’s the leader of the team. He’s a guy that everyone goes to, and he’s the one who’s always helping other people out.”
