'07 OH PG/SG Dante Jackson (Xavier Verbal)

[CrabMan]

Greenfield McClain Tigers (Greenfield, OH)

Ht: 6' 5"
Wt: 195
AAU: Eddie Ford's Kentucky Hoop Stars 17-under

SCOUT

RIVALS

Considered the #6 prospect in Ohio for 2007. A starter since his freshmen year for McClain High, as a sophmore he is averaging 24ppg, 11.7rbs and 6.7 assists. A very good team player who can distribute the basketball.

Dante is listing Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio State (High Interest), Dayton, Illinois, Michigan, NC State, Purdue and Xavier (Offer).



Jackson goes for 28 pts and 12 rebs in Win


Jackson within reach of 1000

Updated Profile: 4/6/06

 

[smitty03]

Dante Jackson is an absolute stud for a sophomore. He reminds me alot of Cook from Dunbar. It will be interesting tracking Jackson, as a freshmen he loved tOSU, and stated he would love to go there. A lot can happen between now and his senior year, especially when the North Carolinas and Dukes start calling.

 

[stxbuck]

He's a country boy-you know what I'm saying if you've ever been to Greenfield. Those kind of guys tend to be homebodies-I bet Matta gets him if he wants him.

 

[jimotis4heisman]

i talked him at the mercer game...real nice kid

crazybuck40 dug up this info on him a ways back

Here is an update from bn done by Kyle Lamb in his Schot in the Arm column:

*Dante Jackson, a 6-5 guard from Greenfield (Oh.) McClain, after having a sub-par summer, is having a strong sophomore season.

By averaging 28.3 points a game this season, including a season-high 37 points against Reynoldsburg, he could be re-emerging as a top prospect in the state of Ohio.

In addition to his high scoring output, Jackson is averaging nearly eight assists per game and has 23 steals in just six games—just shy of four a game. Jackson has been strong on the boards, grabbing 14.8 rebounds a game.

Jackson has tabbed double-digit rebounds in each of his first six games. He has a season-best of 15 assists against Madison Plains in a 79-49 win for McClain on December 10th.

http://www.buckeyeplanet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8485&page=2&pp=15&highlight=dante

 

[CrabMan]

Jackson goes for 26 pts, 10 rebs and 7 assists in Win

Saturday, Feb. 12
Tigers cap off regular season with win

McClain's Jackson scores 26, hits 1,000th career point in second quarter
By Kevin Riege SCOLsports.com

GREENFIELD- Not many teams have the kind of weekend that the McClain Tigers have enjoyed.

Fresh off of defeating county rival Hillsboro on Friday night to cement a perfect 10-0 record in the South Central Ohio League and the Gold Basketball award, the Tigers said goodbye to three seniors with a 69-46 win over visiting Eastern Brown in McClain's final home game of the season.

As if that weren't enough, McClain super sophomore Dante' Jackson drained a three-point goal in the second quarter for his 1,000th career point. Jackson finished with another double-double with 26 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.

Saturday night also represented the last home game for three McClain senior basketball players. Matt Binegar, Skyler Gill and Joel Anderson were honored before the game for their contributions to the program.

The two teams came into the contest on opposite trajectories. While McClain (18-2 overall, 10-0 SCOL) clinched the SCOL title Friday night with a win over its biggest rival, the Warriors were denied a chance to tie for the Southern Hills League crown Friday. Eastern (15-5, 10-3 SHL) lost to SHL champ North Adams 82-69 on Friday.

"What a special evening," McClain head coach Rick VanMatre said. "To beat an Eastern Brown team that's won 15 games is special. Coming off a tough, emotional win last night at Hillsboro last night, we were worried about fatigue. It hit us a little in the second half, but we played through it.

"It was a great night for our seniors, Matt Binegar, Joel Anderson and Skyler Gill," VanMatre said. "All three started and all three played well. It's good to send those guys off with a win in this type of atmosphere."

McClain jumped out to a 5-0 lead after the tip-off and never trailed. Jackson, who came into the game needing 17 points to reach the 1,000 plateau, fired up the home crowd with a breakaway dunk after getting a steal at midcourt, putting the Tigers up 13-4. Jackson added two free throws to give McClain a 15-4 lead after one quarter.

Jackson converted a three-point play with a foul shot to begin McClain's second quarter, and Gill stroke a three-pointer for a 21-6 Tiger lead. Eastern guard Brett Beucler moved the Warriors to within 10 with a three-pointer and a pair of free throws. Beucler finished with 21 for Eastern.

"(Beucler) is a great player with a tremendous, quick release," VanMatre said. "I told the guys that they would be surprised at how quickly he can get a shot off. We were in space a couple times in the first half and he hit a couple threes and it shocked us a little bit. We were trying to play man-to-man when he was in our area, but we did a better job on him the second half."

Jackson responded with a three-point goal with 2:18 left. After Beucler sank another two free throws, Jackson came back up the floor and nailed a three-pointer from the wing to give him an even 1,000 points for his career, with 1:47 left in the half. McClain supporters waved placards that read "Dante' 1,000 points" as the game was temporarily stopped so Jackson could be presented with a plaque honoring his achievement.

"To have a sophomore already have 1,000 points is a very special thing," VanMatre said. "He also had another double-double. He just has a great impact on the game."

With the game back on, Michael Howard sank two free throws for McClain, and Eastern's Kevin Hoover hit a three-pointer at the buzzer, making it a 33-23 halftime score in favor of the Tigers.

Corey Rose started McClain's third quarter off with four points, sandwiched around another Jackson breakaway dunk off a steal. Jackson scored on a putback off a rebound and floated in a touch shot for a 43-30 McClain lead. Beucler hit another trey at the end of the third, and the Tigers led 43-33 going into the fourth.

Jerrod Ralph entered the game on fire for McClain in the fourth quarter, hitting three trifectas in the first two minutes for the Tigers. Howard followed that up with a trey that gave McClain a 55-36 advantage. McClain's first four trips down the floor in the fourth quarter resulted in three-pointers.

"Jerrod came in and hit some key three-pointers when the game was still in question and could have gone their way," VanMatre said. "His shots really put some distance between us and them and gave us some breathing room."

Heath McNeal got a rebound off a missed three-pointer and put it in the bucket for a 57-36 lead. After an Eastern score, the Tigers once again kicked it out to Ralph in the corner for his fourth three-pointer of the quarter. All 12 of Ralph's points came on a 4-of-5 three-point shooting performance in the fourth.

Jackson converted another three-point play with the foul shot to cap off his 26-point showing, and freshman Jeremy Webster came off the bench to score for the Tigers.

With McClain holding a 65-44 lead, VanMatre began to pull his starters with two minutes left.

In a fitting display for senior night, seniors Gill and Anderson combined to score the last four Tiger points, giving McClain the 69-46 victory.

With the regular season now behind them, the Tigers' focus now turns toward the tournament. The first step comes on Thursday, Feb. 16, when No. 1 seed McClain meets the winner of Monday's matchup between eighth-seed Washington C.H. (5-15) and ninth-seed Rock Hill (3-13 at the sectional draw) in the Division II Southeast District Tournament.

"It was a great night of basketball with a great crowd and a great atmosphere," VanMatre said. "It was a great way for us to finish on our home floor."

McCLAIN 69, EASTERN BROWN 46

VARSITY SCORE BY QUARTERS

McClain 15 18 10 26 - 69
Eastern Brown 4 19 10 13 - 46

McCLAIN- Neil Decker 0-0-0; Jerrod Ralph 0 (4)-0-12; Jeb Wisecup 0-0-0; Michael Howard 0 (1)-2-5; Skyler Gill 1 (1)-0-5; Corey Rose 3-0-6; Joel Anderson 1-0-2; Jared Lyle 0-0-0; Dante' Jackson 7 (2)-6-26; Matt Binegar 0-5-5; Zach Massie 0-0-0; Jeremy Webster 1-0-2; Thom Schottelkotte 0-0-0; Heath McNeal 2-2-6. TOTALS- 15 (8)-15-69. Field-goal shooting: 23 of 48 for 48%. Free-throw shooting: 15 of 17 for 88%. Three-point shooting: 8 of 18 for 44.4%. Rebounds: 26. Turnovers: 19. Team fouls: 15. Fouled out: none. Three-point goals: Ralph 4, Jackson 2, Howard, Gill.

EASTERN BROWN- Kevin Hoover 2-0-4; Tyler Richey 0-0-0; Brett Beucler 2 (4)-5-21; Kevin Gosche 2-1-5; Blake Spiller 2 (1)-2-9; Jordan Michael 1-0-2; Zach Mays 1-0-2; Brian Watson 1-1-3; Jeff Henderson 0-0-0; C.J. Dorsey 0-0-0; Cody Beucler 0-0-0. TOTALS- 11 (5)-9-46. Free-throw shooting: 9 of 15 for 60%. Team fouls: 15. Fouled out: none. Three-point goals: Beucler 4, Spiller.

 

[CrabMan]

Dante' scores 27 in win

Saturday, Feb. 19

McClain rides fast start to Sectional title win over Hillsboro

Division II Southeast District boys brackets (link)
By Chris Hoppes SCOLsports.com
CHILLICOTHE – The McClain Tigers used an 11-0 start Saturday night en route to a 54-40 Sectional championship victory over the Hillsboro Indians at Southeastern High School.

The Tigers improve to 20-2 on the season and will take on Gallia Academy (9-13) Friday night, Feb. 25 at 8:15 p.m. at the Convocation Center at Ohio University in Athens. In the other District semifinal coming up Friday at 6:15 p.m., it will be Warren vs. Logan Elm. The District championship game is set for Sunday, March 6 at 2 p.m.

Saturday, it was just a tremendous start to the game for McClain that had Hillsboro facing an uphill battle. The battle was all-the-more challenging without senior post player Andy Snyder, who was injured in Hillsboro’s victory over Circleville Wednesday night.

The win was the third for McClain this season over Hillsboro.

McClain’s sophomore Dante’ Jackson led all scorers with 27 points. He led McClain with seven rebounds.

Sophomore Michael Howard scored eight points for the Tigers, followed by junior Heath McNeal with six and junior Jarrod Ralph with four.

Senior Jeremy Cumberland led Hillsboro with 13 points. Junior Joe Snyder scored 10, while sophomore Tirrell Cumberland added seven points.

The Indians finish the 2004-05 season at 14-8.

After the 11-0 run to begin the game for McClain, the two teams played about even. McClain led at the end of the first, 17-7.

The Tigers increased their lead to 15 points midway through the second period and led by 20 briefly before Snyder’s stick back bucket made it 33-15 McClain at the half.

“The first half’s probably as well as we’ve played all year,” McClain head coach Rick VanMatre said. “On both ends of the floor.

“I thought defensively we really had them out of rhythm,” VanMatre said. “We forced a bunch of turnovers with either our press or our quarter-court match-up zone.”

Howard gave the Tigers an early jump-start, according to VanMatre.

“One of the other keys was Michael Howard stepped up and hit some big shots for us, especially in the first half to get us going,” VanMatre said.

The Tigers shot a very fine 13 of 22 unofficially in the first half for 59 percent.

In the second half, however, McClain left the door open for Hillsboro to climb back into the game, going just 4 of 20 for a combined total of 17 of 42 for 40 percent.

As McClain cooled down dramatically on the offensive end in the second half, the Indians started cold and had to find the shooting touch while facing an 18-point halftime deficit.

Hillsboro was unofficially 1 of 9 in the first quarter and they followed that by going 3 of 11 in the second quarter. In the second half, Hillsboro was 11 of 24 from the field for a game total of 15 of 44 for 34 percent, unofficially.

“We came back out, as we have so many times this year, a little bit flat in the third quarter,” VanMatre said.

Hillsboro went to work and began to pound the ball down inside to Jeremy Cumberland who responded with several baskets as Hillsboro began a long climb back from what became briefly a 22-point lead by McClain.

Hillsboro battled mightily to get back into contention. The Indians chipped away and began a 12-2 run that took the bulk of the third quarter to accomplish. The scoring came from Jeremy Cumberland with seven, Tirrell Cumberland with three and Snyder with two.

After Snyder’s steal and lay up, it was 39-27, McClain with 23 seconds to play in the third.

A free throw from McClain’s Corey Rose made it 40-27 after three.

“We just couldn’t get on track offensively at all in the third quarter,” VanMatre said.

Hillsboro was able to cut McClain’s lead to 11 points on three occasions in the first 2:30 of the fourth quarter and once again, at 51-40, late in the game. That would prove to be as close as Hillsboro could get, however, as McClain made 10 of its 14 fourth-quarter points at the free throw line to post the 54-40 win.

As has been the trademark at McClain for so many years, defense is the key and it played a vital role in Saturday’s victory.

“We missed some decent shots and we missed some free throws down the stretch,” VanMatre said. “Fortunately, our defense kept us right there and we were able to hold on for the win.”

It was a tale of two halves for the Tigers, according to VanMatre.

“I thought in the first half we played about as well as we can play,” VanMatre said. “Then in the second half, we were very sluggish on the offensive end of the floor.”

“What we’re left with is, what ifs and if onlys,” Hillsboro head coach Joe B. Stewart said. “What if we had played as well as we did in the second half in the first, and if only we had.

“Obviously, Andy Snyder is a big part of the heart of our team,” Stewart said. “And we missed him. We’ll give the guys on the other side of the coin some credit here. They took away the things we do best. Basically the whole first half looked like that and then we finally got it in gear in the second half and did some very good things.”

McClain’s zone was troublesome for Hillsboro in the first half, according to Stewart.

“They pushed us out much too far on the floor for us to attack the zone effectively,” Stewart said. “We didn’t get into the gaps (in the first half). We really did in the second half and created the kind of action that we want on the inside in the second half.

“At times in the second half you saw the formula we brought,” Stewart said. “But Greenfield took it away from us in the first. The big thing was just how they jumped out of the gate.”

Now it’s on to the Convo for the Tigers, and a rematch of last year’s District semifinal against Gallia Academy.

“My old buddy, Oz,” VanMatre said, referring to the Gallia Academy Blue Devils head coach, Jim Osbourne. “They played well and upset Vinton County (Friday night) in a real close ballgame. We had the opportunity to see that game. They beat 15-5 Sheridan, then turned around and beat a very talented Vinton County team, so they’re on a roll.”


McCLAIN 54, HILLSBORO 40

SECTIONAL FINAL SCORE BY QUARTERS

McClain 17 16 7 14 - 54
Hillsboro 7 8 12 13 - 40

McCLAIN - Jarrod Ralph 0 (1)-1-4; Michael Howard 1 (2)-0-8; Skyler Gill 0 (1)-0-3; Corey Rose 0-2-2; Dante' Jackson 7 (1)-10-27; Matt Binegar 0-0-0; Heath McNeal 3-0-6; Thom Schottlekotte 1-0-2; Neil Decker 0-0-0; Jeb Wisecup 0-0-0; Joel Anderson 0-0-0; Jarrod Lyle 0-0-0; Zach Massie 0-0-0. TOTALS- 14 (3)-17-54. Free throw shooting: 17 of 27 for 63 percent. Field goal shooting: 17 of 42 for 40 percent. Three-point field goals: Ralph, Gill, Jackson. Rebounds: 17. Steals: 8. Assists: 12. Turnovers: 11. Personal fouls: 16. Fouled out: none.

HILLSBORO - Matt Garman 0-4-4; Ryker Miller 0-0-0; Anthony Price 0-0-0; Jeff Palmer 0-0-0; Drew Barreras 0-0-0; Joe Snyder 5-0-10; Tirrell Cumberland 1 (1)-2-7; Codey Juillerat 1-1-3; Todd Cumberland 0 (1)-0-3; Jeremy Cumberland 6-1-13. TOTALS - 13 (2)-8-40. Free throw shooting: 8 of 12 for 67 percent. Field goal shooting: 15 of 44 for 34 percent. Three-point field goals: Ti. Cumberland, To. Cumberland. Rebounds: 23. Steals: 7. Turnovers: 16. Personal fouls: 22. Fouled out: Snyder, Garman. Technical fouls: 2. Intentional fouls: 1.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

RIVALS$

3/2/05

Dante is nearly averaging a triple double and was named District Player of The Year, his team is 21-2 and playing the District finals for a shot at the sweet 16.

 

[wadc45]

Scout $

3/5/05

By Kyle Lamb of Bucknuts...Jackson averages 24 points and 11.7 rebounds per game. His team is 21-2 on the season and ready to play Logan Elm on Sunday in the regional semis. His current favorites are Ohio State, Kentucky, North Carolina, Xavier and Michigan. He is also hearing from NC State, Arizona, Clemson and Miami (OH), among others.

 

[wadc45]

CAGED TIGERS

3/11/05

McClain's Danté Jackson goes for a layup in the second half Wednesday against Linden McKinley. McClain was defeated 67-53 in the Division II regional semifinal game at Ohio University's Convocation Center.

McKinley sends McClain home with regional semifinal loss

By LANCE CRANMER
Gazette Sports Writer

ATHENS -- Danté Jackson came out with something to prove Wednesday night.

After Linden McKinley coach Jimmy Jones alluded earlier in the week that Jackson would not be considered one of the top players in Columbus' City League, the McClain sophomore set out to prove Jones wrong.

Though the Tigers fell to McKinley 67-53 in the regional semifinal matchup, Jackson set a new school record, amassing 39 points on 17 of 28 shooting.

"I was kind of shocked that that was said. I guess that's what happens," Jackson said. "I just came out and tried to do the things to help my team win. We just fell a little short."

"I'll tell you what, he's a good basketball player," Jones said afterward. "I never said I didn't respect him. I said I didn't know much about him. The point of it is, it takes five people to win a basketball game. He needed help."

Behind Jackson's game-high total, McClain's next-highest scorer was Michael Howard with four points.

"We needed somebody else to step up and score, just like last year in the regionals," Tigers coach Rick VanMatre said. "We didn't have anybody else step up and score for us."

That, plus the Panthers' team depth and incredible athleticism, helped Linden McKinley grab an early lead and slowly build on it throughout the game.

McClain's last lead came at the 2:21 mark of the second quarter when Jackson connected on a 3-pointer to put the Tigers ahead 24-23.

After that, it was too much McKinley, and way too much Shaun Gunnell.

A 6-foot-3 senior built more like a tank than a guard/forward, Gunnell wreaked havoc on the Tigers' interior defense.

"He manhandled us inside. I've never had a kid manhandle one of my teams like that," VanMatre said. "He was just so physical. We just cannot play against a kid 6-3, 240 (pounds) that's going to do those kind of things inside. He threw people around. He physically threw them around."

Gunnell scored nine-straight points for the Panthers, including a trey that recaptured the lead for good at 26-24.

He finished with 29 points and eight rebounds, and his inside presence caused lots of problems for McClain.

"He just dominated us inside," VanMatre said. "That was my No. 1 concern. Particularly on the offensive boards. They just wore us down."

The Tigers trailed 29-25 at the half and kept within striking distance, trailing just 43-38 going into the fourth quarter. But with the lack of depth on the McClain bench and the abundance of it that McKinley bolstered, fatigue became a factor.

"What happened was, as good of a basketball player as (Jackson) is, his legs got a little weak," Jones said. "When you're running the floor for four quarters, that's a lot of work. We shot a couple different people on him all night, and I think that helped."

Though he'd been a force in every other aspect all night, Jackson shot just 1-of-8 from the foul line in the final period, and continued to get banged around inside by the Panthers defense.

"Towards the end of the game I kind of got a little fatigued. But it's not really an excuse," Jackson said. "We didn't execute when we needed to late in the game. They just got offensive rebounds and second opportunities for shots. That was a big key. If we box out and do the little things, we're in the game at the end."

As McClain began to slow down, the Panthers continued to push the ball down the floor, led by James Davis.

The sophomore scored six points in the final minute as Linden rattled off a 12-4 run over the final 1:41 to extend its lead.

"The game was a lot closer than what the final score indicated," VanMatre said. "We just ran completely out of gas. From about the three-minute mark of the third quarter and the whole fourth quarter, we were just running on fumes."

Davis finished with 13 points and teammate Samuel Payne added 15 points and nine rebounds.

To complement his 39 points, Jackson also had eight rebounds, four steals and three assists.

McClain finishes its district championship season at 22-3.

The team loses three seniors in Matt Binegar, Joel Anderson and Skyler Gill, but returns a very solid core of players for next year.

"This has been a wonderful group to be around," VanMatre said. "We only lose three seniors. Hopefully this will just lead to more great things for McClain basketball."

Linden McKinley (10-14) advances to the regional title game Saturday against Zanesville, which defeated Claymont earlier in the evening, 63-40.

(Cranmer can be reached at 772-9304 or via e-mail at [email protected])

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

LINK

3/15/05

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The 2004-2005 Associated Press Division II boys All-Ohio high school basketball team, based on the recommendations of a state media panel:
DIVISION II


FIRST TEAM: Korey Spates, Warrensville Hts., 6-foot-1, senior, 26.5 points per game; Morgan Lewis, Painesville Harvey, 6-3, sr., 20.1; Jacob Diebler, Upper Sandusky, 6-3, sr., 18.8; Dwayne Jackson, Cuy. Falls Walsh Jesuit, 6-3, sr., 21.0; Chad Fender, Poland Seminary, 6-2, sr., 18.2;

Dante Jackson, Greenfield McClain, 6-5, soph.,

24.9; Brian Kreefer, E. Liverpool, 6-7, sr., 27.4; Daequan Cook, Day. Dunbar, 6-5, jr., 22.6; Mike Fout, Cols. Hamilton Twp., 6-4, jr., 28.8.


Players of the year: Jacob Diebler, Upper Sandusky; Daequan Cook, Day. Dunbar.


Coach of the year: Keith Diebler, Upper Sandusky.

Congratulations to Dante for being named First Team All-Ohio.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

4/22/05

Jackson reportedly favors Ohio State and Kentucky at this early stage.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

5/2/05


Per Lamb on Bn.....at the Spiece Tourney this weekend.....Jackson reportedly has OSU out in front and is excited about the possiblity of playing with Cook, Lighty, Oden and Conley.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

scout.com (free link)

<CENTER><TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=0 width="98%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top bgColor=#ffffff>

Dante Jackson

</TD><TD noWrap width=3></TD><TD vAlign=top>Jackson Waiting For Offer
By Kyle Lamb
Date: May 4, 2005

Ohio State is doing a marvelous job recruiting for the 2006 class, and at least one Ohio player from the 2007 class would be very interested in joining the party. Dante Jackson of Greenfield McClain spoke with Kyle Lamb this past weekend and sounded very clear about his interest in OSU. Click here for more.
</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=3>
If you want a good analogy as far as what to call verbal commitments Daequan Cook and David Lighty, think of them as the main entrée. And now for the dessert, the Ohio State coaching staff is hoping to soon land Indianapolis stars Mike Conley and Greg Oden within the next few weeks following their visit this upcoming weekend.

So it stands to reason, with all four, getting a top 2007 prospect to commit early would be icing on the cake.

It just so happens there’s a player in Ohio State’s very own backyard with a sweet tooth to be his own piece of the Buckeye pie. And he sure isn’t adamant about looking around on the menu, either.

Dante’ Jackson, a 6-5 guard from Greenfield (Oh.) McClain, has been to several Ohio State basketball games over the last couple of years, and he can’t seem to hide his excitement about a potential recruiting class that would sign, at very least, four players in the top 25 nationally, and what it would mean to the program.

So when someone gets excited about the possibility of Conley and Oden committing, they aren’t alone. So does Jackson.

“It would be just really awesome to get those guys,” Jackson said this past weekend in Ft. Wayne, Ind. about the idea of landing Conley and Oden. “You would just have to think Ohio State could win a national championship with those guys all together.”

And you would think that adding Jackson, who averaged 24 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists as a sophomore for McClain, could make it a self-fulfilling prophecy for he and the Buckeyes to possibly win a national title.

During the season, Jackson played mostly point guard for McClain. But during the spring and summer for his AAU team, the Cincinnati Cowboys, he’s been asked to play more out on the wing.

“It’s a lot different,” Jackson said of the difference. “In high school, I’ve got to take care of the ball, bring it up, rebound, and all that stuff. Really, out here, I've just got a job to do by defending and take shots when they are open and create every now and then, but I don't have to force the issue that often. Mainly just defend and take open shots.”

For college, Jackson projects as a two-guard, although he says he can also see himself playing on the wing sometimes.

Whatever position he plays, Jackson is listing Ohio State, Kentucky, Michigan, N.C. State, Xavier, and Dayton as the schools that he’s considering. Jackson has put Ohio State and Kentucky as his leaders with only Xavier offering thus far of that group.

Right now, however, it’s an Ohio State offer that he is most waiting for.

“We were actually talking about it earlier, and I made the comment that I would probably commit on the spot if they (Ohio State) got a commitment from a couple of certain people,” Jackson said. “But I’ll probably be at Ohio State in two years, but I’m just not sure right now.”

Jackson was asked if Ohio State realized his feelings about them.

“I’ve made it pretty clear, but I don’t think they are fully aware I would be ready to make the jump,” Jackson added.

Although for all intents and purposes Jackson makes it sound like he could commit immediately, he did acknowledge it could be a good idea to take his time even if the offer from Ohio State and verbal commitments he was speaking about came to fruition.

Either way, Jackson understands Ohio State is concentrating first on 2006 and worrying about his class later.

“I totally understand that,” Jackson explained. “I’m only a sophomore. When you’ve got Greg Oden, Daequan Cook, and guys like that, when you’ve got these juniors and seniors ahead, you’ve got to try to get them now and worry about me later. So, I totally understand that.”

If Thad Matta is trying to build a fence in Ohio to the best of his ability with the verbal commitments of Cook and Lighty, he’s off to a great start. In fact, Jackson would be eager to help in building such a fence.

“That would be great. That would be awesome,” Jackson said of the idea. “I know not everybody is going to go to Ohio State, but with Coach Matta there, he’s done an excellent job in his first year.”

“It would be great to keep the players in state,” he concluded.

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

</CENTER>You have to love hearing about a kid who wants to be a Buckeye and is not afraid to come out and say it this early.

 

[wadc45]

The order in which offers are handed out to the kids in the 2007 class should be interesting...Mayo and Walker get token offers just because they are who they are. Gordon already has his offer. I would think Lauderdale would be next (Scout lists him with an offer, but I'm pretty sure that is incorrect...I think they are waiting to finish up the 2006 class and see some test scores, just to be sure). After that, you would have to think guys like Jackson, Pogue, or Ellis would be next in line...

 

[HabaneroBuck]

Is Dante a good prospect as a point guard? I always assumed from his athleticism that he was a wing prospect, but the idea of a 6'5" or so point guard who can grab rebounds and dominate a smaller guard is very exciting. It would be hard to project where he'd play for the Bucks because he would be behind Cook, Lighty, and presumably Conley. Nevertheless, his enthusiasm is awesome.

The fact that Xavier has already offered him is telling, also. They reportedly got a steal in Nate Miles in this class, so the early offer is quite telling to me. Schools like Kentucky can afford to wait a while to offer the cream of the crop. Xavier cannot afford that, so the staff always targets the best early and gets in on them. Kind of like the relationship Thad has built with Conley and Oden! I'd offer him quick before he blows up (assuming the academics and attitude are in order). It is probably not a necessity based on his obvious attraction to Columbus, but it doesn't hurt momentum to get another verbal. At least, this is spoken from a fan's standpoint!