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Ian Jackson talks about his Muslim faith and playing basketball while fasting during Ramadan #UNC
Mar 17, 2025
Ian Jackson talks about his Muslim faith and playing basketball while fasting during Ramadan #UNC
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0:01
ask you about uh Ramadan and your faith.
0:05
Obviously, your faith has been really
0:06
big for you. Can you talk about that?
0:09
It's huge. It's huge. Um especially this
0:11
month. Uh this month is a huge month for
0:13
us as Muslims. Can you speak up? I said
0:15
it's huge. Especially this month. This
0:16
month for us is huge as Muslims to kind
0:18
of get closer to get closer to our God
0:20
and get close to our faith. Uh so it
0:23
means a lot to you and your family.
0:25
Nick, have you gone
0:27
through having to play basketball games
0:30
during Ramadan before? Um, in high
0:33
school, yeah, obviously the the the
0:35
level of basketball is not that high,
0:37
but um not as high as now, but yeah,
0:39
high school I went to Ramadan. And and
0:42
did you There was an NC State player
0:44
last year who dealt with the same thing.
0:45
Have you spoken with him about going
0:47
through this? Um, no, I didn't. I
0:50
didn't. Well, tell me how your day goes.
0:52
Do you have a a pre-dawn meal every day?
0:56
Yeah. So, tell me how your days go.
0:58
Yeah. So, I wake up early um before the
1:00
first prayer uh and get and get and get
1:02
a food a meal in a big meal and then as
1:05
the days goes on um when the prayer
1:07
comes in I can't eat no more at that
1:09
point. So, I just fast until um Margaret
1:13
prayer comes in and then I eat again.
1:15
So, if there's a substantial meal in the
1:17
morning I guess. Yeah. Yeah. Good a good
1:19
amount in the morning and then as soon
1:20
as the sun goes down Yeah.
1:22
game. So, uh the night game tomorrow
1:26
night may will make that easier.
1:27
Absolutely. Absolutely. But, uh should
1:30
you win Friday will be more of a
1:32
challenge with with the uh what it would
1:34
be 4:00 game. Yeah. And you dealt with
1:37
that ACC tournament. How do you how do
1:39
you deal with that? Just do you get used
1:41
to playing without empty stomach? Yeah,
1:44
I'll be fine. I'll be fine. Um yeah,
1:47
like I said, um my faith comes first.
1:49
So, I'm fasting. I'll be fine. Uh God
1:52
allows me to have the strength to go out
1:53
there and play. I When would How old
1:56
were you when you first uh observed it
1:58
with the fasting and the prayer and
1:59
everything? My first fasting year was
2:01
about 3 years ago. 3 years ago. Yeah.
2:04
And is this like I guess your your
2:06
parents have always done it and and then
2:08
No, my parents aren't honored. Oh, okay.
2:12
Yeah. Yeah. I convert Islam. When did
2:14
you be when did you uh become Muslim? Uh
2:16
about 3 years ago. Tell me about that
2:18
change in your life. Um it was huge for
2:21
me you know um it's it's a religion I I
2:26
believe in and
2:28
um yeah just a change I wanted to make
2:31
and yeah so it's huge so it's so and and
2:34
you did that without your family and in
2:37
the face so you obviously feel strongly
2:39
absolutely absolutely have you connected
2:41
with uh any notable athletes who are
2:44
Muslim um it's just just like So,
2:51
um, do do you think it affects your play
2:55
at all or do you you just don't it's not
2:58
a big deal to you? No, it's not a big
3:00
deal to me. Um, fasting for me is is
3:03
what needs to I have to do, you know.
3:05
Um, so it's not a big deal to me. So,
3:07
but you done it. So, it's the third
3:09
season you've done it, right? Yeah. But
3:11
how many g how many games did you play
3:13
during Ramadan in your last few years of
3:14
high school? Um, I probably say about
3:17
like probably like seven games. Wasn't
3:19
it wasn't too much. Wasn't too much. Was
3:21
it tougher the first time around? Um
3:24
yeah, getting accustomed to it was a
3:26
little bit tough, but um like I said, uh
3:29
I went through it. Um uh God allowed me
3:32
to go through it and then I got it done.
3:35
Did is there is there anything that you
3:37
do before it starts to kind of get you
3:39
prepared for it or is you so is it so
3:41
much of a routine for you now? Um yeah,
3:44
I kind of got kind of got it down to
3:45
like a T in terms of like routine and
3:47
schedule um when to eat, how much I
3:49
should be eating.
3:51
So So who who on the staff helps you
3:53
out? Because obviously you're eating
3:54
when rest of the team isn't eating. Who
3:57
who on the staff helps you out in this
3:59
regard? I'll train Doug. I train Doug.
4:01
Yeah, he kind of me and him kind of made
4:03
the schedule that works. Um it's been
4:05
working tremendously, you know, to like
4:07
maintain a certain weight while I don't
4:08
lose too much pounds. So the schedule
4:10
works and me and him go through it. So,
4:13
do you go to the team meal when you
4:14
can't eat? Yeah, absolutely. So, you
4:17
just talking to the players? Yeah, I'm
4:18
I'm just there with my teammates. Is
4:20
that hard? No, not at all. So, so just
4:24
like any of the challenges of becoming a
4:25
college athlete, this this is you just
4:28
are amazed by this. Yeah. Yeah. I mean,
4:31
I mean, have you So, you didn't talk to
4:33
the NC State. Have you talked to other
4:35
prominent athletes have gone through
4:37
this? uh Ramadan. Um I haven't not yet.
4:41
But uh and then and then in Gerald
4:46
when you when your name when you guys
4:48
name was called was what kind of a
4:51
relief was that? It was great. It was a
4:53
great relief, you know. Um
4:56
yeah, cuz we had no clue what was going
4:58
to happen, you know. So for us to be
5:00
called and have a chance to win a
5:03
national championship is amazing for us.
5:06
All right, cool. Good luck.
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