One of the top overall prospects in Arizona's 2018 class of players is Rancho Solano Prep's 6-foot-8, 195-pound senior forward Nikc Jackson. Jackson has numerous scholarship offers for himself, but is still a very underrated prospect among division-I college coaches. On Monday evening, Jackson received another offer from a program in the Horizon League.
Recently, Jackson decided to transfer schools - leaving Tucson's Sunnyside High School and transferring for his senior season to Rancho Solano Prep Academy in Scottsdale, AZ. During a workout at his high school on Monday evening, Jackson received a scholarship offer from Oakland University.
Jackson also currently has offers on the table from Air Force, Central Arkansas and Northern Arizona. Jackson received each of those offers in the fall of 2016. While he is definitely worthy of receiving many more scholarship offers, Jackson has flown well below the recruiting radar.
It is still unclear as to whether Jackson has a leader in his college recruitment, but Oakland definitely looks to be a good option for him. Jackson is in the process of scheduling official visits for himself. He has currently scheduled a visit to Air Force for the month of October.
A native of Michigan, moving to the state of Arizona last summer (2016), Jackson emerged immediately as a division-I prospect. He did not disappoint last high school season either - averaging impressive numbers on the high school season. While leading his Sunnyside HS program to an 18-11 overall record on the season, Jackson averaged 18.1 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per/game.
Jackson is also coming off a good spring and summer performance on the club circuit, while traveling with his Powerhouse Hoops Black team. Jackson was among the top prospects for the Powerhouse program and helped lead his team to a tournament title in this year's Baylor All-Star Classic in Chicago, Illinois - defeating the historic Mac Irvin Fire in the event's championship game.
I will continue to follow Jackson's recruitment closely this fall, and bring you any updates as they continue to develop.
Arizona Hoop Review Scouting Report: Jackson is a nice stretch-4 prospect that could translate to the 3 position at the collegiate level over time. He is a very skilled and long athletic forward prospect with excellent versatility and a tremendous knack for the basketball. He is an excellent offensive rebounder that uses his length and good timing to keep balls alive and finish plays inside the paint. His length also allows him to be an excellent shotblocker that has the ability to block and keep balls alive, while also changing shots effectively. Jackson is a very good low-post scorer with excellent footwork, and his left-handed shooting ability makes him difficult to defend around the basket, as he is able to score from different angles off the glass. He is also an effective shooter of the basketball from mid-range and can also step outside to three-point distance and make shots, from the stand-still position or off the dribble, although he is at his best from mid-range. Jackson also runs the floor very well and is an excellent finisher in the open floor. He plays well above the rim and finishes strong over defenders with dunks, and is able to get to the free-throw line quite often. This young man has excellent potential for the future and is among the best sleeper prospects in Arizona's 2018 class.
