Tracking the College Basketball Stars of the Future
ECU &
C-USA Hoops
Recruiting Report
Thursday, September 18, 2003
By Thad Mumau
Special Correspondent |
|
Backcourt wizard still
pondering 'official' pledge
©2003 Bonesville.net
This is the
story of a commitment that isn’t a commitment that will probably become a
commitment, possibly very soon. If that sounds confusing, it is, but there
are reasons for the confusion.
And the kicker
is that the ending could be good news for East Carolina basketball.
The Pirates
have been working hard to land Cedric Jackson, a 6-2 1/2 point guard, who is
ranked No. 194 among the nation’s senior players by Prepstars.com. He
averaged 24.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, six assists and 4.5 steals last season.
On Friday,
Sept. 12, ECU head coach Bill Herrion and assistant Greg Herenda made an
in-school visit to Jackson at North Burlington High School in Columbus, N.J.
This followed an official trip by the prospect to East Carolina Sept. 5-7.
On hand, in
addition to the Pirates’ coaches and Jackson, were his coach, Herman
Johnson, and the North Burlington athletic director. The player’s father was
not present, and that is an important part of the scenario.
There was
anticipation that day in New Jersey, anticipation that Jackson would commit
to East Carolina. He even said that’s what he wanted to do.
"Cedric was
locked and loaded," Johnson said. "I thought he was ready (to commit). It
looked like that’s what was going to happen."
But it didn’t,
at least not "officially."
"The thing
was," Johnson pointed out, "that Mr. Jackson was not there. Cedric wanted
him to be there when he made that announcement. His dad wanted to be there."
So, what broke
as a commitment to the Pirates turned out not to be a commitment, but only a
false alarm, so to speak.
Still, it
seemed only a matter of time. In fact, Johnson said he thought the
"official" word would come Tuesday, Sept. 16, with Mr. Jackson beside his
son for the announcement. That day came and went, however, and nothing else
transpired.
"I still think
it’s going to happen," Johnson said Wednesday. "But I can’t speak for Cedric
or his dad or their family. At this time, let’s just say there has been a
delay."
An obvious
reaction would be that another school had gotten to the Jacksons, found a
crack in their resolve and made recruiting inroads. But that is not the
case.
"There aren’t
any other schools," Johnson said. "Cedric doesn’t have any other visits
planned. I think it’s just a thing where he wants to make very sure about a
decision that is very important, very big, in his life.
"If Cedric
Jackson says he’s going to East Carolina — if he makes a commitment — then
you can count on him signing a letter of intent. He comes from the old
school where his word is his bond. His handshake is the same as his
signature on a contract. He isn’t going to commit and then change his mind
like you see some kids do. That’s just the way he is, and that’s the way we
do things here. I tell kids their word means something.
"One thing to
keep in mind," Johnson said, "is that, when kids visit a school, they come
back excited. Everything is great. That isn’t the best time to make a
decision. It’s best to let things settle down and think about everything for
a while. That’s what Cedric is doing."
Sunday,
Jackson and his father are scheduled to have a telephone conversation with
Herrion, and it could be that something "official" will take place then.
"It’s
possible," Johnson said. "Or, it could happen before then. Cedric and his
dad may wake up tomorrow morning and say they are ready.
"I told them
that they have to keep in mind what the deal is with the East Carolina
coaching staff. They have to recruit players. They want Cedric, but they
can’t wait forever. If there is another kid they want who says he is ready
to commit, then it could be that the offer won’t be out there for Cedric any
longer. That’s just the way it is.
"When they
(Jackson and his dad) think about that, it could be that they will not want
to delay any longer. But I don’t know.
"What I do
know," Johnson said, "is they like East Carolina a whole lot. They like the
program, the coaches, the campus and the league (Conference USA). They just
want to be very sure before they give their word.
"I think it
will happen."
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02/23/2007 02:40:52 PM |