University of Georgia Athletics
A Quick Chat With ... Turtle Jackson
February 08, 2017 | Men's Basketball
By John Frierson
UGAAA Staff Writer
Officially, he's William Jackson II. But of course we all know him as Turtle. How can you not like and pull for a guy named Turtle? Especially one with the 10,000-watt smile and easy laugh of the Georgia men's basketball guard.
A sophomore from Athens, Jackson recently sat down for a quick chat about his name (we'll get to that later), going to school in his hometown and much, much more. Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: I'm going to avoid the obvious one for now, the question I'm sure you've been asked more than any other in your life.
Jackson: How did I get the nickname Turtle?
Frierson: Yep, we're going to save that. What I wanted to start with was something your teammate Derek Ogbeide said when I chatted with him recently. I asked him who the most interesting person on the team was and he said you.
Jackson: Really? [Smiles] That's great. I spend a lot of time with Derek and we're really close friends, but I don't know why he would say that I was the most interesting.
Frierson: Do you find yourself interesting at all?
Jackson: Now that you say that, maybe. [Laughs]
Frierson: What makes you interesting? I mean, Derek is probably the most interesting guy because he's lived all over the world.
Jackson: I was thinking of Derek when you said most interesting, but I know he wouldn't say that about himself. What makes me interesting? One thing is the obvious thing that we were just talking about, that most people don't know my real name.
I've had teachers that only know me as Turtle and were shocked that my real name is William. One thing that might make interesting is that I know a lot of places around here because I'm from Athens.
I also really like to crack jokes. People that know me know I like to smile and crack jokes.
Frierson: I'm also from Athens, but I didn't go to school here. Has the experience of going to Georgia been about what you expected?
Jackson: I tell a lot of people, it's a big difference seeing this side of UGA and Athens. It took me a while to learn the buses and where all my classes are. People were like, you should know this, but I had to just start like every freshman.
I think it's great because it's a great vibe, with Athens and UGA.
Frierson: Are you sort of the tour guide for your teammates, telling them where to find this or that?
Jackson: Yeah, especially for things outside of school. Which restaurants are really good, which movie theater is the best and just things to do in general, like bowling or other things that aren't too far away.
Frierson: What's the most creative thing you do? Or what's something creative you wish you could do?
Jackson: I wish I could sing; that's something I wish I could do, be creative and make songs. I also wish I could play an instrument.
Frierson: Is there anything in that realm that you can do?
Jackson: I like to think there's a lot of things I can do. If you ask me, I think I can draw. You might not think so [laughs], but I think it's great. I think I can draw pretty well and I'm pretty good at making people laugh. I always practice jokes like a stand-up.
Frierson: One of my questions usually is, who's the funniest guy on the team? And your name is often the answer given, in part because you sometimes deliver jokes that aren't funny but they still work.
Jackson: I'm silly and whatever comes to my mind, joke-wise, I just say it. It doesn't matter how the crowd reacts to it; I'm laughing at my own jokes and that makes other people laugh.
Frierson: I'm a guy that never got near the rim, so I'm quite envious of the dunkers. What can you tell me about your first dunk?
Jackson: My first dunk ever I was in warmup, in eighth grade, and I always told my parents, when I dunk mom's got to leave the gym. I tried one time and kept trying, the crowd was packed and going, "Dunk, Turtle; dunk, Turtle." I finally did it and found my mom and told her to leave.
Frierson: What's funny is, every time I ask that question, the person that I'm talking to always smiles and lights up a bit. There's something about a dunk, I guess.
Jackson: You always sit there and watch people older than you that do it and you're like, wow, I can't wait to do that some day. And then you finally do it. It's like now, when you have something you want to accomplish and you go out and do it. It's something that always sticks with you.
Frierson: OK, now, the quick version of why everyone calls you Turtle?
Jackson: My mom was pregnant and she was having an ultrasound. At the hospital I was born in [in Amherst, N.Y.] they called girls Hamburgers and boys Turtles. With me being a boy, the nickname Turtle stuck.
Frierson: It's a good thing the boys name was Turtle, which is quite catchy, and not something like Porcupine.
Jackson: That would be weird [laughs], or if I was a female and they called me Hamburger for the rest of my life.
Frierson: What's the greatest play or athletic feat of your life?
Jackson: I can say something that I'll never forget was during my sophomore year [at Athens Christian School], we were down 21 in the fourth quarter. I scored something like 20 points in the quarter and we came back and won, against a team that had three or four D-I players.
That's not one play, but just that span right there was one of the best things I've ever done.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
