Jaren Jackson had quite the summer. From putting up solid numbers with Spiece Indy Heat in the Nike EYBL to leading the USA U-17 team to a gold medal, Jackson was able to vault himself into elite territory in the Class of 2017. However, for the 6’10”, 220lb forward, it was only the beginning. “I’ve thought of myself as one of the best for a couple of years now,” he says. “ It’s just a matter of getting the recognition.”

In addition to his incredible summer, Jackson recently announced that he will be transferring to La Lumiere (IN) School, who is already considered one of the top high school basketball teams in the country after barely coming up short of a national title last year. With his senior year upcoming, Jaren Jackson and La Lumiere should definitely be the favorites to win it all.

 

After spending his early high school years at Park Tudor (IN) school, Jackson felt like it was time for a change for his final year of high school. Joining Jackson at La Lumiere will be Jeremiah Tilmon, Tyger Campbell, Brian Bowen, and transfer Jordan Poole. “I’m just going out and playing hard,” Jackson says. “I try to do too much with the ball at times, so I just need to play within the system.”

Modeling his game after NBA All-Star, Anthony Davis, Jackson is able to dominate in the post, while also having a strong jump shot, as he says, “[Davis] is long like me and can do a lot of different things with the ball. He’s not getting out on the perimeter, so he’s more inside.” he continued. “I’m more of a big like Davis, who likes to block shots.”

 

Although he models his game after Davis, parts of Jackson’s game do resemble his father, Jaren Jackson Sr., who played in the NBA for over ten years and won an NBA title with the San Antonio Spurs in 1999. It is clear that Jackson benefits greatly from his father’s experience. “He just knows what it takes to get to the next level. He’s helping me in all areas with recruiting, what it’s going to be like in college, the hard work it takes to get to the league, being drafted, and everything else.”

Despite his apparent influence from his father, Jackson wasn’t forced into playing basketball, saying, “He didn’t really push me in any direction. I played pretty much every sport, but basketball was what I really got interested in.”

 

Jackson is currently ranked by 247Sports as being a top-25 player in the Class of 2017, so it seems that he made the right decision. Hoping to cut his list in the near future, Maryland, Purdue, Texas, and his father’s alma mater, Georgetown seem to be the clear favorites. “I’m looking for a good fit, where I can come in and make an impact,” explained Jackson. “I need to have a good relationship with the coach.”

Even with the family ties at Georgetown, Jackson does not want to make his decision based on his father, saying, “ Although my dad went there, it doesn’t have much of an impact on me. It’s just a fact.”

 

Wherever he decides to attend, Jaren Jackson will definitely be a player to follow as he attempts to lead La Lumiere back to the national championship, this time with a different result. If one thing’s for sure, Jaren Jackson has high hopes for the future, as he says, “Everybody wants to make the NBA. It’s an honor to play at this level, but I want to get the money and play as a professional.”