THE RIVALS150: 2015 | 2016

Napa (Calif.) Prolific Prep shooting guard Josh Jackson, the top-ranked

prospect in the 2016 Rivals150, recently cut his list down to nine schools:

Arizona, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky,

Louisville, Michigan State, N.C. State, North Carolina and UCLA. Following a Friday night game at the Under

Armour Association where he went for 28 points and 12 rebounds, Jackson wanted

to let everybody know that he was adding another school, the Auburn

Tigers, to his list.

"I love coach (Bruce) Pearl. I love coach (Tony) Jones," Jackson said. "From the

time when they were at Tennessee and they would get the high level

talent, they would always be in the top five nationally. I just like what the

coaching staff stands for there and I like what they teach. I feel like those

are just good guys to be around."

The schools on Jackson's list have some similarities and some differences.

"There isn't really a common thread between all the schools," he said. "I just

felt like those 10 schools would be good fits for me for different reasons. Some

of them are similar, but some are different. Out of those 10 schools, I feel

like I would be happy with any of them. They are all great schools. I just have

to figure out which one is best for me."

The Michigan native grew up rooting for Tom Izzo's Michigan State

program.

"I grew up a State fan," Jackson said. "My mom and I would get into a lot of

arguments in the house when State would play Michigan because she loves

Michigan and I was always going for State. I just grew up a State fan. I love

what those guys represent. I love what Izzo teaches. I love how they play on

defense. They are a bunch of tough guys."

John Calipari has a way of attracting the top players in the country to

Big Blue Nation, but that's not what impresses Jackson most about UK.

"Calipari just knows how to win," he said. "Somehow he gets his guys to play

together. All those guys are great talents and it's hard for all those guys to

come from being the best on their teams to come together and play together.

That's something special. That's hard to do."

North Carolina and Duke have one of the most intense rivalries in college

basketball, and both will be slugging it out trying to reel in the top player in

the 2016 class.

"I love the history of both of those programs," Jackson said. "Coach K is a

great coach, a Hall of Fame coach. I feel like I could learn a lot from him and

I like the way they play. It's the same thing with North Carolina. I could learn

a lot from coach (Roy) Williams. I love the way those guys play together and I

love their offense."

Jackson doesn't appear to be in any rush to make a commitment.

"I really don't know," he said. "It's really just up to me and my mom. I'm going

to wait a while. I'll be looking at where certain guys in my class are going to

attend school and the guys already at each school. I have to figure out what I

want to major in and see which school is best in that."

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