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Shawn Siegel — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 08:10:30 -0700

Tennessee Tech Signs Florida Prepster

Press Release — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 13:44:39 -0700

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. — Jeremy Jackson, a 6-foot-4 guard from Brandon High School in Tampa, Fla., is Tennessee Tech men's basketball coach Mike Sutton's first announced signee of the spring.

"We're excited about Jeremy," Sutton said. "We think he's got a chance to be a very good player in our program. He's got long range, he's athletic an aggressive. We're really excited about adding him into the mix with our team."

During his final season at Brandon High School, Jackson averaged 18.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, ranking him second in scoring in Hillsborough County.

The Eagles finished the year with a 20-6 record, and Jackson led the team in scoring in 14 of the 26 games. His high game as a senior was a 30-point night against Gibbs High School, and he also notched a pair of 29-point games.

Jackson is expected to play as either a two- or three-guard for the Golden Eagles.

"I think I made a great decision on signing with Tennessee Tech," Jackson said. "It's a good program and I think that I'll be able to make an impact there. I think I can bring a good offense to the table."

Sutton expects Jackson to make immediate contributions to the Golden Eagles.

"We think he could become a really good player down the road for us, and he'll contribute and be a force for us right away," Sutton said.

"Obviously, you're always looking for the guys who are the best fit for your program. We think Jeremy's going to be a really good fit, in terms of his ability to do a variety of things — he's a very good offensive player and he has good size."

Originally from Chicago, Jackson played two seasons at Thornwood High School in the windy city. After a move to Florida, he played one season at Tampa Baptist Academy, before settling in at Brandon to complete his high school career.

"He's played at some tough levels of competition," Sutton said. "He's played the last two years in Florida. Before that, he played in Chicago in a really good league. So he's played against some really good competition and did a great job."

Mark Hermann, Jackson's coach at Brandon, said his standout senior was among the best players in the region last winter.

"Tennessee Tech got a nice player," Hermann said. "He's got a ton of potential. This is what I've been telling the ton of colleges that were recruiting him — once you get him in school there, get him in the weight room and get him doing some individual workouts, he's really going to blossom.

"He's going to take off. He jumps out of the gym. He can do some 360 dunks, some windmills. He was one of the top three players here in the Tampa/St. Pete/Brandon area."

Jackson was named all-district his junior year and was named the Most Valuable Player in Hillsborough County. He was also named to the Tampa Tribune's All-County first team.