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Not a lot of MAC players come out of Houston, Texas, but Keith Dambrot may have found his point guard of the future in Antino Jackson from Cypress Springs High School.
New home pic.twitter.com/kueitdlBSr
— AntinoJackson. (@AntinoJ) April 11, 2014
Point guard was one of the major problem positions for the Zips last year, as Quincy Diggs, Nyles Evans and Carmelo Betancourt split time there. Betancourt started coming on strong at the end of the season, but now that Diggs has graduated the position needed to be addressed in the offseason. It's late in the recruiting game, but from looking at Jackson's highlight tapes he looks like a solid MAC player.
As you can see, Jackson is quick and can really finish at the rim. He has great touch on passes and excels in transition. Those qualities fit in great with an athletic Akron team looking to push the ball in transition more and more.
Jackson received some post-season accolades recently as he was named first-team all-district in an area with a lot of basketball talent. His academics seem to be in order as well, as he was named academic all-district.
This year Jackson averaged nineteen points and five assists per game. His shooting percentages are pretty good at 45 percent for field goals and 33 percent from beyond the arc. Probably most importantly for the Zips, Jackson shot 77 percent from the free throw line. That percentage is not great but it's pretty good, and should improve the Zips' free throw numbers from last season.
His size is somewhat of a concern, as his Rivals profile has him at 5'7", but others have him closer to 5'10". At 155 pounds he'll certainly need to bulk up, and may even be a candidate for a redshirt.
It seems that Keith Dambrot (and LeBron James) was a major factor in his recruitment. In this article by Future 150, Jackson mentions that "it's kind of hard to ignore who he has coached. Guys like LeBron and Dru Joyce."
Jackson had offers from Texas State, Jacksonville, and Sam Houston State.
Make sure to check out our basketball recruiting page to stay up-to-date on the latest MAC basketball recruiting news.