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10/23/10
- Zay Jackson, a 6-0 point guard from St. Thomas
Aquinas High School in Hammond, La., told the Racer
Insider this morning that he had verbally committed to
sign a letter of intent with Murray State next month.
Jackson averaged 18.2 points, 3.6
assists, and 2.8 steals per game last year.
But when asked what he does best he didn't mention any
of that. "I play hard," he said simply.
"I compete." Erroll Gauff, the head
coach at St. Thomas Aquinas echoed that -"Zay is an
ultra-competitor. He wants to win and he plays very hard
on the defensive end as well as the offensive end. He
never takes a break. "He's extremely
athletic. We measured verticals last week and his was 43
inches. His best basketball is probably ahead of him as
he continues to learn how to use his athleticism. His
basketball IQ continues to broaden.
"He's fairly strong but he probably needs to add 12-14
pounds because the college game is more physical. And he
needs to continue to work on his perimeter game. He's
very good at getting to the basket and creating offense
for himself and his teammates. He's not a bad outside
shooter but he needs to be more consistent."
Jackson won the state high jump championship last year
by clearing 6' 8" and he also won the triple jump with a
leap of 47 feet. He chose Murray State over Tulane,
South Alabama, and Louisiana Lafeyette.
"When I came for my visit it just felt like home," he
said. Rivals.com posted this evaluation
of Jackson - "A 5-foot-11 point guard out of Hammond
(La.) St. Thomas Aquinas, the 165 pounder is among the
premier athletes at his position. Capable of finishing
drives in traffic with dunks, he's a little guy who puts
pressure on defenders.
"On the defensive side of
the ball, he uses his quickness and fast hands to be a
major problem as an on the ball defender. He will,
however, need to add some bulk and cut down on a
tendency to force things before he gets to Murray
State." |
