The applause got louder as each player was introduced at the University of Memphis men's basketball team's senior day.
First the announcer introduced the senior team managers, then the players that had been in Memphis for only a short year or two after transferring.
Finally, only two remained - Chris Crawford and Joe Jackson. Both grew up in Memphis, and both are the only players remaining from head coach Josh Pastner's first top-10 recruiting class.
Crawford received a huge applause, but it was different with Jackson. The arena erupted when Jackson was introduced for the final time in front of the 18,182 Tiger fans at FedExForum.
He deserved it. With the option to go anywhere in the country, Jackson, a consensus top-15 recruit and "King of Memphis" tattooed across his chest, refused to even consider leaving his beloved hometown.
He represents what it means to be a basketball player in Memphis. Growing up in Orange Mound - a community in South Memphis - he became the first member of his family to earn a college degree in three years.
He represents what it means to be a Tiger basketball player in the Josh Pastner era. It isn't about coming here for a year, winning some games, then bolting for the NBA, like under former head coach John Calipari. It's about tradition and being a leader in a community where basketball is woven into the fabric of the town.
He's been on the Dean's List and received many other academic distinctions, but he's more than just a regular student.
"Joe has won me a lot of games," Pastner, who always points out that Jackson is a graduate first, said. "I'm just so proud of those guys. They've meant so much to the program, especially Chris and Joe. Those guys have kept the program at such a high level and took a chance on us when it wasn't cool and there were a lot of unknowns."
The Memphis native shot his way into the Memphis record books this season, currently ranking eighth on the all-time scoring list. With a good end to his senior year, Jackson could easily move into the sixth or seventh spot. He currently has 1,665 points in his career.
Jackson sits at fourth in the record books in both assists (559) and made free throws (506).
He is only the second player in school history to post more than 1,500 points, 500 assists and 175 steals, joining Tiger-great Elliot Perry.
He got 18 of those points against SMU in his final home game, where the crowd seemed to roar a little bit louder than usual with each Jackson bucket.
The Tigers won the game, but it didn't come as easily as Pastner and company would have hoped.
The seniors struggled heavily in the first half, and it was the underclassmen keeping the Blue and Gray afloat.
But in storybook fashion, Jackson and Crawford led a second-half charge to give the Tigers a come-from-behind win on senior day over the Mustangs.
The game mirrored the career of Jackson. Coming in a heralded recruit, he floundered at times during the first few years of his career.
Few expected him to be a four-year guy at Memphis. They expected him to play a year or two then bolt for the NBA.
Instead, he worked his way through all the ups and downs, earning a couple of Conference USA Tournament MVP awards and Conference USA Player of the Year as a junior.
"I've really learned a whole lot," Jackson said. "It's been great to play in front of my hometown, but we aren't done yet. We still have the NCAA tournament."
This season wasn't the year he hoped for either. He wasn't an All-American or even a first-team all-conference selection. However, Jackson has always understood when and where to flip the switch to start playing great, and it looks like it's coming at the right time for the Tigers.
The 18,182 fans applauding saw it coming. They saw him slowly rounding into form, but the applause wasn't all about Jackson.
The applause was about the idea of Joe.
It was for Pastner and for the Memphis program.
It was for the program's ability to take a kid out of the inner city and help him become a leader and role model in the community both on and off the court.
There is no doubt better basketball players than Joe Jackson will roll through Memphis, although not many. But, it will be tough to find a better man roaming the halls of the Finch Center and FedExForum in Tiger Blue.
