SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. Seton Hall men’s basketball head coach Bobby Gonzalez announced today that Jamel Jackson (Brooklyn, N.Y.) has signed a national letter of intent to attend the University and play basketball for the Pirates beginning in the 2009-10 season.
The 6-foot-3, 195-pound shooting guard is Gonzalez’s first signing of the 2009 spring period and will join a trio of transfers, Keon Lawrence, Herb Pope and Jeff Robinson, as well as Melvyn Oliver, as new Pirates set to play this fall.
“We’re very excited to have Jamel re-join our family,” Gonzalez said. “Last year Jamel went back and got another year of experience on the junior college level that we think will benefit him. He’s another long-range shooter that will blend well with the guards we already have. A tough New York City kid, Jamel is a clever player with a great basketball I.Q. I believe he will be one of the missing pieces needed to give us great depth on our perimeter.”
Jackson originally committed to Seton Hall last spring, but decided to return to Technical Career Institute (TCI) in Manhattan, N.Y. for his sophomore year in order to concentrate on academics. The junior college standout will have two years of playing eligibility remaining once he joins Seton Hall. A Third Team All-American and Region XV Player of the Year as a freshman at TCI, Jackson brings a reputation as an excellent shooter to South Orange. He averaged 24.5 points per game as a freshman and 21.5 points per game as a sophomore. The talented guard was also named to the 2008 All-Sportsmanship Team.
