Profiling 2013 Prospect Demetrius Jackson

To most, Michigan basketball's recruiting in 2013 is all wrapped up.  However, there are a handful of key prospects that could massively impact Michigan's recruiting both now and in the future.  On our basketball recruiting page, I have three primary targets listed, but this does not mean that I believe that they will end up in Ann Arbor.  For instance, the recruit I am profiling in this article, Demetrius Jackson, has a very slim chance of ending up at Michigan.  Despite this, he is still a recruit that could impact Michigan's 2013 class and will surely impact some of Michigan's key opponents regardless of his decision.

Jackson is one of the best players in the 2013 recruiting class.  Not just at his position, point guard, but for all basketball players in the class.  He's so effective for one main reason, his amazing athleticism, which can be clearly seen in his tape.  He has tremendous speed and is practically unstoppable when he drives the basket.  Along with this, he has great ball handling skills, solid defense, and is a pretty good rebounder considering he's just 6'1".  The one area that he could improve on, as referenced by both Future150 and ESPN, is his shooting.  He's a fantastic point guard, but if he could truly threaten from the perimeter, he could be extremely effective.  I don't think he needs to add size because it would probably impact his speed, which is his major asset.  His athleticism, court vision, and passing abilities will carry him, but he can be elite at the college level with an improved jump shot, particularly from outside the arch.

Here are the basic stats on Jackson:

	ESPN	Rivals	Scout	247Sports	Future150
Height	6’1”	6’1”	6’1”	6’2”	6’1”
Weight	170 lbs	185 lbs	185 lbs	185 lbs	170 lbs
Position	PG	PG	PG	PG	PG
Rating	5*	4*	5*	4*	5*
Position Rank	#4	#6	#5	#10	#4
National Rank	#18	#27	#23	#56	#11

His rankings are extremely impressive.  Every one of the sites has him ranked in the top 100 and 247 is the lone holdout for top 50 status.  Every site also has the same position for Jackson, similar height, and similar weight.  When you're looking through players on this elite level, differences don't matter that much, but 247 definitely seems to be the holdout here.  If I had to bet, I think he will wind up a lot closer to the ESPN and Scout rankings than he will to the 247 rankings.  Even though Rivals also has him as a 4* recruit, they still have him higher at his position and in total recruit rankings.

The unfortunate thing for Michigan fans is that I see little to no chance that Jackson actually chooses Michigan and winds up in Ann Arbor.  Not only has Michigan slowed on the recruiting front, but he would have to battle at least one great incoming recruit for playing time and possibly more players like Trey Burke, although that's probably unlikely.  Just look at HoopNiks' analysis of the point guards in the 2013 over the last summer.  They actually rated Derrick Walton, a current Michigan commit, above Jackson.  That's certainly good news for Michigan fans, but not a good sign you want to see if you're hoping Jackson will want to come to Ann Arbor.

Even though it's almost a guarantee that he won't end up in Ann Arbor, it will still be an interesting recruitment for Michigan fans.  Right now, it appears to be a battle between Notre Dame, Illinois, and Kansas, but there are a couple others that might make some noise like Butler.  If he does wind up going to Illinois, he could be a major challenge in the years to come for Michigan, especially seeing the way John Groce built DJ Cooper into one of the better point guards in the country.  I'm still predicting Notre Dame, seeing as he's from South Bend, but it's going to be an intense race that could impact Michigan pretty significantly in the near future.

Here's his highlight video: