College basketball: Medina grad Jackson Sartain sets records for John Carroll

The thought of breaking school records did not cross the mind of John Carroll graduate student Jackson Sartain on Friday night. He was purely focused on winning. By the end of the night, though, Sartain had led the Blue Streaks to a 109-96 victory over Keuka College (N.Y.) after scoring 55 points and breaking two other school records. "I knew I was making a lot of shots throughout the game, but the main goal was just about winning," Sartain said. "It was all about winning the first one to get a good start to the season. Records didn't really cross my mind, and I was just doing what I was supposed to do, which is knock down shots." The 6-foot-1 guard and former Medina standout knocked down plenty with 15 3-pointers among 19 field goals — both school records. He added seven rebounds, one assist and one steal in the first game of the Hilbert College (N.Y.) Classic. "It felt good like everything was clicking and going well," Sartain said. "I felt like we were playing well together as a team, and (Keuka's) playing style kind of led in our favor, I guess you can say. All I can say is we were making shots." John Carroll finished the event Saturday by defeating host Hilbert 100-79. Sartain had 15 points. The fact that Sartain, who also holds program records for 3-pointers made in a season (102, 2018-19), career 3-pointers (335) and career 3-point percentage (.505), got his season off to such a great start did not come as much of a surprise to the coaching staff. "Jackson is a special talent and deserves every headline," John Carroll coach Pete Moran said. "I'm not sure I will ever coach another individual who works as hard as he does." Sartain credits father Doug Sartain for continuously working with him to develop his practice habits, which include taking 500 shots each day and making 60,000 each summer. "All the success I've had is just from all the work I put in everyday and throughout every offseason," Sartain said. "I've stuck to a routine, and most of the credit goes to (my dad) for helping me maintain a work ethic." That work has turned Sartain into a two-time All-Ohio Athletic Conference selection, as well as a Division III All-Great Lakes Region pick. "My coaches told me after the game that a couple records were broken, and so did my dad," Sartain said. "He told me he was proud of me and we recognized all the work we put in all these years. I'm thankful for him pushing me and all the work we've been through." Sartain began Friday night by making 2-of-3 3-pointers to give the Blue Streaks a 6-3 lead. After re-entering with 13:21 left in the first half, Sartain had four straight three pointers, an assist on a 3-pointer and two defensive rebounds over the next five minutes as the Blue Streaks took a 41-29 lead. He also made his last five shots, including four 3-pointers. Sartain entered this season averaging 14.2 points for his career, highlighted by 19.8 last season, while shooting .463 from the field and .862 from the free throw line. He also has other career averages of 2.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists. John Carroll is looking to win the OAC Tournament and return to the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Blue Streaks won the OAC and advanced to the Sweet 16 when Sartain was a freshman and were runners-up when he was a junior but lost to Ohio Northern in the first round of the OAC tourney last year. "I think we're feeling really good about what we have," Sartain said. "Chase Toppin, our other guard, is really athletic and smart. We have Connor O'Toole, Mason Trubisky and a lot of really good guys on our team that are smart and athletic. I feel like we're clicking together and hopefully that continues through the rest of the season." Contact John Urchek at sports@medina-gazette.com.