High School

Ridgewood’s Johnny Jackson Defies Cancer with 30-Point Game, Surpasses 2,000 Career Points

High school basketball star battles Stage 4 Hodgkins Lymphoma to deliver a miraculous performance days after chemotherapy

Gary Adornato

Ridgewood guard Johnny Jackson (4) in a game from last season, returned for his team's season opener on Dec. 19, despite ongoing chemotherapy treatments for Stage 4 Hodgkins Lymphoma. He scored 30 points to lead his team to victory and surpassed 2,000 career points in the process.
Ridgewood guard Johnny Jackson (4) in a game from last season, returned for his team's season opener on Dec. 19, despite ongoing chemotherapy treatments for Stage 4 Hodgkins Lymphoma. He scored 30 points to lead his team to victory and surpassed 2,000 career points in the process. / Anne-Marie Caruso/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

Superman doesn’t always wear a red cape with a giant “S” on his chest. Sometimes he settles for a basketball uniform and soars for 30 points – only days removed from a chemotherapy treatment.

Johnny Jackson, a senior guard on the Ridgewood (New Jersey) boys basketball team played in his team’s season opener, last Thursday, despite ongoing treatment for Stage 4 Hodgkins Lymphoma. In what was nothing short of a miraculous performance, Jackson not only played, he dominated. 

According to an account of the contest by NorthJersey.com, Jackson scored 30 points in a 64-48 victory over Big North Conference rival St. Joseph and surpassed 2,000 career points in the process.

Jackson learned of his cancer diagnosis over the summer and completed his 10th chemo treatment early last week before gathering the strength to perform at an extraordinary high level in Thursday’s game.

Following the game he gave the following reaction to Jersey Sports Zone.

“It honestly just meant everything to me,” Jackson said. “I’ve been working my tail off for about four or five months now and going through just the roughest point of my life. Getting diagnosed with cancer isn’t easy but I just made it my goal to get back by the first game and I thought I did pretty well.”

“It’s not often you get to witness miracles,” Ridgewood coach Mike Troy said, also to Jersey Sports Zone. “What we’re witnessing is a miracle. For (Jackson) to be able to do what he is doing. Byond inspirational.”

Jackson was on the floor for all but 80 seconds of the action, played instense defense and connected on five three pointers for the Maroons.

Published
Gary Adornato
GARY ADORNATO

Gary Adornato began covering high school sports with the Baltimore Sun in 1982, while still a mass communications major at Towson University, and in 2003 became one of the first journalists to cover high school sports online while operating MIAASports.com, the official website of the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association. Later, Adornato pioneered market-wide coverage of high school sports with DigitalSports.com, introducing video highlights and player interviews while assembling an award-winning editorial staff. In 2010, he launched VarsitySportsNetwork.com which became the premier source of high school media coverage in the state of Maryland. In 2022, he sold VSN to The Baltimore Banner and joined SBLive Sports as the company's East Coast Managing Editor.

Home/New Jersey