Iroquois' Jermaine Jackson is one of the top prospects in the state. The 6-foot-5 forward is starting to see his recruitment pickup. I caught up with Jackson and spoke with him about his game and his recruitment.
Jackson averaged 25 points per game this past season, as he led the Raiders to a 22-9 record. He recently picked up a scholarship offer from I.U.P.U.I.
"Right now, I'm being recruited by I.U.P.U.I., Missouri State, Eastern Kentucky, Lincoln Memorial and Southern Illinois," Jackson said. "I.U.P.U.I is my only offer right now. They offered a few weeks ago. I would like to go up there for a visit soon."
I.U.P.U.I may have an advantage over the other schools. Last season the school signed Jackson's former teammate Donovan Gibbs. Gibbs, a 6-foot-6 forward who averaged a double-double his senior season, will be a freshman in the fall.
"Having Donovan up there gives them an advantage," Jackson said. "I liked playing with him and he has told me a lot of nice things about the school."
Jackson may be one of the state's top scorers but he knows there is always room for improvement. He is spending the working on his game and trying to improve for the next level.
"I'm working on my defense," Jackson said. "My offense is there. I just need to improve my foot speed on defense, so I'm working on that this summer."
Jackson is the consensus No. 1 player in the 6th Region. Look for him to have a banner senior campaign and look for more colleges to offer scholarships.
Photo by Michael Johnston
