Prospect Spotlight: Albert Jackson (2019)
As time goes on, we see more and more high school student athletes transfer to different schools for a number of different reasons. Some do it because they weren’t getting enough playing time at their current school. Some transfer to help improve their academic situation. And then you see some kids transfer because their family had to move to a different area. Whatever the reason is, the objective is to come into the new school and make a splash.
That’s exactly what senior forward Albert Jackson plans on doing after transferring from Mt. St. Joseph to Atholton.
This spring and summer, Jackson spent time with New World honing in on his skills to prepare for what should be a big senior season.
“It was a great spring and summer for exposure,” Jackson continued, “great team, great coaches and great organization. It was a learning lesson overall and we all played hard. It was fun. I became more confident in my shots. That’s one thing I was focused on. And taking smarter shots, becoming more of a team player and just being able to carry the load and be a leader on the team.”
After seeing limited minutes at Mt. St. Joe, Jackson is expected to play the majority of minutes at Atholton and become a big piece of the puzzle.
“I just have to come in and be a leader,” Jackson told Prep Hoops. “Even though I’m new, I’m a senior and have to come in and set the tone so we can get wins. The teams we’re scheduled to play are relatively new for me. We have to get wins and play together. Individually, I just want to go forward with a winner’s mentality because I know that’s very attractive for coaches.”
At 6-foot-5, Jackson is a bit undersized to be a power forward at the Division I level, but fortunately for him, he can impact the game in many ways. He can shoot it from three, which opens up the options for pick-and-pop actions off of ball screens and forces the defense to stretch. Jackson can also post up on the block with his back to the basket. He finishes with soft touch around the rim, but is especially good at making skip passes to opposite guards sitting on the perimeter for open shots or driving lanes. Defensively, he needs to improve his lateral quickness, but does a nice job using his length to contest shots and lays a body on his match up to collect rebounds.
“I have coaches from all three levels in contact with me, actually,” Jackson said. “No offers, but I’ve heard from Iona, some texts from Ivy League schools, Millersville, Stevenson and a few other really good academic schools on the Division III level.”
Jackson has a 4.3 GPA and plans on majoring in Biology or Pre-Med Studies once enrolls into college.
What can a program expect with Jackson?
“An overall winner I’d say, “Jackson continued, “on the basketball aspect, I try to put myself in a position to be any role the teams needs whether it’s defense, rebounding or scoring. Then off the court, academics are really important to me. So I’m going to win on both sides.”