UPDATE 9/26: Andre Jackson has cancelled his official visit to Iowa for this weekend and is expected to make a decision by next week.
“The family is discussing all the options this weekend going into Monday/Tuesday,” Albany Academy coach Brian Fruscio said. “I expect a decision before the season, likely late ne t week.”
By ADAM ZAGORIA
Andre Jackson, the 6-foot-7 wing from Albany (N.Y.) Academy and the Albany City Rocks, is now focusing on four schools as his recruitment winds down.
Jackson said he’s now considering Iowa, Syracuse, UCLA and UConn, and that he will evaluate his options following his official visit to Iowa this coming weekend. He’s coming off an official to UConn this past weekend. He said he’s “not really keeping in contact with Maryland at this point.”
“The process has been wearing on me but I’m not sure [when I will decide],” he said Monday night by phone. “I’m starting to like some schools more than others and I’m starting to weigh my options. But I’m not exactly sure. I don’t have a date for when I’ll commit.
“I’m kind of just playing it by ear. After taking a visit to Iowa, I’ll kind of start just chopping off the list, who I’m really left with, see who checks the boxes for basketball, see who boxes for the social-wise and stuff like that and just weigh my options and see what really matters for me and what’s going to be the deciding factor for me.”
As first reported on ZAGSBLOG, Jackson planned two officials this fall to UConn this past weekend and to Iowa this coming weekend.
As for UConn, he said, “They have a good message, they have a good play style for the way that I play. The guys around the program could fit into the way that I play, and their defensive tactics also fit. I like coach [Dan] Hurley and I like the coaching staff. It was a nice visit, I definitely enjoyed it.”
He previously visited UConn last spring on a group visit with Noah Collier and Cam Thomas. Thomas will take another official to UConn the weekend of Oct. 11.
“I visited UConn a while back but it was a group visit so I didn’t get to see every part of the school,” he said.
Next up is Iowa.
“Their message has been kind of put the ball in my hands as a freshman,” he said. “Hopefully if I do what I’m supposed to, play in transition and surround me with guys who can help benefit my game. They definitely just want a winning program, so I’m definitely looking forward to that.”
He’s already visited Syracuse and UCLA, so doesn’t feel the need to go again.
“I think I’m going to stop at those [visits] unless I decide to take one out to UCLA, which is going to be kind of hard,” he said. “And I kind of had a good visit at UCLA, I can remember everything so I don’t know if I need to go back whereas Iowa I haven’t gone back since my sophomore year.”
As an upstate New York guy, Jackson is familiar with Syracuse and has been several times before.
“Syracuse, in a way they’re kind of the same as Iowa in the way that they want me to play.,” Jackson said. “They want to increase their pace of play to get me downhill off ball screens, try to get me to play at the bottom of the zone. My length would be good in the zone and all that kind of stuff, and I definitely agree with a lot of stuff that they say. And they’re pretty good.”
UCLA is also involved, and he took a visit there in the spring. He said Daishen Nix has been in his ear about the Bruins.
“He told me too pull up, he told me I would be good there,” Jackson said. “I think we would play good together just because of the style we play. Both athletic players who can make plays.”
Jackson has been in touch with several uncommitted big men about joining forces, including Isaiah Jackson, who visits Syracuse this weekend and is also considering Kentucky and Alabama, and Cliff Omoruyi, who is being courted by UConn, Rutgers, Auburn, Miami and N.C. State, among others.
“I talked to Isaiah Jackson about Syracuse, talked to Cliff from Roselle Catholic about UConn,” he said.
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