Jackson Has High Major Talent

He's one of those players who for the most part will be off the radar screen this summer, but make no mistake about it: Lance Jackson is a high major talent.

Jackson, a strong and athletic 6-2, 190 pound shooting guard from Dunbar H.S. in Ft. Worth, Tex., was one of the better prospects on display last week at the Great American Shootout in Denton.

Jackson was invited to the Nike All-American Camp in Indianapolis earlier this month, but had to decline the invite due to a summer school commitment.

In Denton, Jackson showed that he is a "power guard," one who can drive to the hole and finish proficiently, yet back down smaller guards on the low block. He plays with a terrific degree of energy and is a streaky perimeter shooter.

Jackson said he's spoken with the coaching staffs from Illinois, Michigan, Purdue, Maryland, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Arizona, Cincinnati, New Mexico and Southern Methodist.

Last summer in Las Vegas with his Fort Worth MLK Mash team, Jackson broke his foot, and then during the high school basketball season, he broke his other foot. So a lot of people might not have gotten a chance to see him play in the past year, and he said that the Shootout would be his only tournament during the live July period.

In an abbreviated 2001-2002 season, Jackson averaged 19 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals and three blocks per game.

Jackson said he has a 3.3 GPA, although that figure could be a little high given the fact that he's in summer school. He plans on taking both the SAT and ACT in the fall, as well as some official visits.

We will keep you posted on his recruitment in the weeks and months to come, so stay tuned.