Forward Garrett Jackson (Portland, OR/ Westview HS) has been one of the West Coast’s best kept secrets in the 2010 recruiting class and is poised for a breakout senior campaign. However, Jackson decided to end his recruitment Thursday afternoon with a verbal commitment to USC and head coach Kevin O’Neill.
“Yeah, I committed today. It was close to the end of the school day during my last period,” Jackson said about the timing of his commitment. “I had a meeting with my mom, Coach (O’Neill) and Coach Coons. My mom and I felt real good about it going in, but we were not 100 percent sure.”
Questions and uncertainty have clouded the future of the USC basketball program with the ongoing investigations regarding Tim Floyd and former standout O.J. Mayo. Despite the allegations and possible sanctions, Kevin O’Neill has managed to secure four verbal commitments over a five week span with Garrett Jackson being the fourth member of the 2010 recruiting class.
“Me and my mom expressed our concerns, but we feel with the whole situation with the investigations will all work out for the best and we feel that it is just a great fit with the education,” Jackson said about the ongoing investigations. “It just felt really good; it felt right. I just felt like the opportunity for playing time there (at USC) was great and USC is a great opportunity.”
During his brief stint as Lute Olsen’s successor at Arizona, O’Neill’s contrasting style and intense demeanor eventually led to an unbearable amount of tension and ultimately his departure in Tucson. So far, O’Neill has seized his second opportunity at USC and is out to prove all of his critics wrong.
“Coach O’Neill is a great coach,” Jackson said. “I like his coaching style and how he will get after you a little bit and is very straight forward. I think that he can help me a lot.”
Once projected as a player without a position in college, Jackson has made huge strides over the summer and could see his ranking skyrocket over the course of his senior season. Jackson could remind many fans of former Trojan signee Derrick Williams and the tremendous senior campaign he had.
“I am a good shooter, I am long and can play good defense,” Jackson said about himself as a player. “I feel like I am pretty versatile and I can bring many things to any basketball team like rebounding and helping out wherever I can.”
With an attitude committed to winning and contributing to the team, Garrett Jackson will likely command immediate playing time.
Jackson will be officially visiting on the 25th and selected the Trojans over Oregon State, Washington, Washington State, San Diego, St. Mary’s and Boise State
ESPN Scouts, Inc.’s Joel Francisco had these comments about Jackson and his commitment:
“Garrett Jackson, a 6-6 wing-type out of Portland, Ore./Westview, committed to USC after contemplating interest from a bevy of schools including: Washington, Oregon State, Washington State, St. Mary’s, San Diego, UTEP, Rice, and SMU.
Jackson is a late bloomer who exploded onto the scene this summer with a stellar performance in Las Vegas. While evaluating him at the Les Schwab tournament in December he possessed that prototypical wing frame, but his skills (particularly his shooting), was not Division 1-ready. However, during the summer evaluation period his stroke looked much smoother and as a result much more consistent.
Jackson is a bouncy athlete who excels in transition. He can attack the rim off the dribble or pull-up and nail the jump shot. He plays extremely hard at both ends and possesses the body-type (long arms) to be a lock-down defender.
After a devastating finish to the 2008-09 recruiting season, Kevin O’Neil has apparently got the Trojans going in the right direction. Jackson and new commit Bryce Jones (Woodland Hills, Calif./ Taft) give O’Neil to lengthy versatile wings with an unlimited ceiling.”
ESPN Scouts Inc. profile page for Garrett Jackson
