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Tracking the College Basketball Stars of the Future
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ECU &
C-USA Hoops
Recruiting Report
Monday, November 24, 2003
By Thad Mumau
Special Correspondent |
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Pirates inclined to bow out of
Jackson saga
©2003 Bonesville.net
It’s time for
East Carolina basketball coaches to file Cedric Jackson’s name in the "Ones
That Got Away" folder. And, apparently, that’s just what they have done.
"That’s the
impression I got," said Herman Johnson, Jackson’s coach at North Burlington
High School in Columbus, NJ. "They said if Cedric didn’t sign the letter of
intent by the 19th, they would probably have to look elsewhere."
The fall
signing period was Nov. 12-19, with Jackson deciding not to give the Pirates
his autograph. Not long ago, it seemed as if that would be a mere formality.
But teenagers are often fickle when it comes to romance and recruiting, and
that was the case with the 6-2 1/2 guard.
What appeared
to be love at first sight proved no more than infatuation as Jackson’s
feelings for ECU lost strength with the passing of time.
It was
mid-September when we reported that Jackson had committed to Bill Herrion’s
program. The prospect and his family were extremely impressed with their
visit to the Greenville campus and felt the fit with the Bucs was a perfect
one.
As it turned
out, however, Jackson decided not to commit. At first, he said that would
likely take place in the near future, but his father was gone when time came
for the announcement and it was important that he be on hand. But time
dragged on, and nothing happened.
Johnson was
optimistic, saying there were just a few things that needed to be ironed
out, a question or two that needed answering. Herrion and East Carolina
assistant Greg Herenda traveled to New Jersey and met Jackson, his parents
and his coach in a diner. Cedric’s mother was pleased with what she heard
and even advised her son to go ahead and give ECU a promise, according to
Johnson.
But it didn’t
happen. Johnson, who said he has known Herenda for quite a while, was in the
Bucs’ corner all the way. He said nice things about Herrion and the ECU
basketball program and explained why it would be good for Jackson to be a
part of it.
Still,
nothing. September turned into October, and then the signing date was right
around the corner. Johnson continued to feel that Jackson would sign with
East Carolina. Various websites reported in the past week that he did.
"He didn’t,"
Johnson said. "Cedric did not sign.
"I think he
was hesitant because of all the schools that left Conference USA. On a
number of occasions, he had said, `Coach, I’m really looking forward to
playing Louisville and Cincinnati and Marquette twice.’ He doesn’t feel good
about the conference now.
"He wants to
open up his recruitment again and see what happens," Johnson said. "He hopes
to play in one of the bigger conferences. His goal is to play in the ACC or
Big East. A lot of new teams come knocking in the late period."
There wasn’t
anything Herrion and his staff could have done differently that would have
changed the outcome with Jackson.
"To their
credit, the East Carolina coaches recruited Cedric hard," Johnson said. "If
they got him early, it would have been a steal. When he came back here after
his visit, he was hot for East Carolina. When he didn’t make the commitment,
things cooled off and kept getting cooler.
"Cedric
realizes East Carolina will have to keep looking and will probably give the
scholarship to someone else. I hope they’re going to leave the porch light
on at night, but realistically, they will likely move on."
St.
Bonaventure and Florida International have contacted Jackson in recent days,
but neither is expected to land him.
Jackson, who
is ranked No. 193 among the nation’s seniors by Prepstars.com, averaged 24.9
points, 8.5 rebounds, six assists and 4.5 steals as a junior.
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02/23/2007 02:40:43 PM |
