By SAM LANCE
KANSAS CITY, KS — A decision looms for Sammy Jackson, a four-star class of 2026 forward out Roman Catholic (PA) and the Team Final Nike EYBL AAU program.
Last week, Jackson announced he’ll commit on Wednesday, June 25. His four finalists? Indiana, St. Joe’s, Texas and VCU. The four-star will visit all of his finalists before making a decision.
Here’s Jackson’s breakdown of his top four:
Indiana: “Coach Rod Clark and coach [Darian] DeVries, they did a good job of recruiting me. I talk to them a lot. They started talking to me about three weeks ago, but the amount of love and support they’re
showing me. I mean, that’s all it takes to get in my top four, no matter what the school is, where
it’s at. If a schools showing a lot of interest in me, I’m showing a lot of interest in them. [DeVries] sees me as a big guard or point forward/small forward that can handle the ball and dictate the offense. But he sees me as a big guard, and I’m looking forward to his first year there. I’m looking forward to seeing a new light, seeing them play next year, and looking to make a decision soon.”
Official visit date: June 13-14.
St. Joe’s: “Hometown school. So I’ve been seeing them for a while now since I been in Philly, going to
their games, watching them. Coach Billy Lange, coach [Thomas] Boyle did a good job recruiting me. They’ve shown a lot of love and it’s a hometown school, so I’m looking to show them love too. [Lange] has a great plan for me. They sent Rasheer Fleming to the draft this year, about 6-foot-9. Everybody saw him as a power forward, but he turned into like a small forward/shooting guard now. So looking to see if they can do the same thing for me.”
Official visit date: June 1-2.
Texas: “Sean Miller, David Miller, coach [Adam] Cohen and the rest of staff have all been talking to me. They started recruiting while they were at Xavier. They went to Texas and they brought the same amount of love, the same amount of recruiting. I’ve had a relationship with them for a while now. They have a lot of guys. They play one big guy, play a lot of guards, big guards. I feel like that’s a good fit for me, being able to show off my skillset. They have a great plan for me to show off my skillset and improve, get my body bigger, be great.”
Official visit date: June 16-17.
VCU: “[Jimmy] Martelli did a good job recruiting me. When [Jimmy] Martelli was at Penn State, he was recruiting me from there. And then he went to VCU and brought me down there. I talked to their head coach [Phil Martelli Jr.] recently. But yeah, I’m looking forward to getting down there for a visit. Getting down there for a visit, watch them workout, watch the practice a little bit and learn more about school.”
Official visit date: June 23-24.
This summer with Team Final, Jackson has been uber-productive. He’s played nine games and averaged 10.1 points, 3.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists. His best game was a 16-point, seven-assist outing vs. Meanstreets on the final day of the Memphis live session. Jackson ranks No. 5 in assists per game at the 17u level of EYBL.
“I’m a big guard,” Jackson said. “So I’m 6’7-6-8. I play the one, the two, the three. I think my skill set’s unique. I’m able to dribble the ball, bring it up for my team, get into our sets, shoot the ball.”
Jackson’s goal this summer is to win Peach Jam, but he’s also trying to improve his game. Specifically, he’s working on his defense and locking down the best player on the opposing team.
The four-star has an NBA bloodline. His father, Marc Jackson, played seven years in the league and finished third in Rookie of the Year voting in 2000-01 with the Golden State Warriors. Jackson also has an older brother, class of 2025 power forward Shareef Jackson, who’s heading to Lafayette.
Photo via Tipton Edits.
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