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Possible 2014 commit: PG Antino Jackson


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Most descriptions of Antino talk about him being super quick or cat quick. His academics appear to be in order as he made the academic all-district basketball team. This interview with Antino (and his father) from last summer gives some insight into his self-confidence and drive to succeed. It's noted that after his junior season he had offers from Texas State, Sam Houston State and Jacksonville -- all D-I schools. Sam Houston State is the highest ranked of the three with an RPI of #129, right around the midpoint of MAC RPI. Odds right now appear to be against Antino becoming a star at the D-I college level. But he could be a sleeper with a lot of motivation to prove he's better than others think he is.

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Following is part of a Q&A with BJ about his commitment to UA:

Q: Which basketball player do you look up to the most?

A: The player I look up to the most is Lebron James.

Q: What was your list down to before you committed to Akron?

A: My list was Houston, Wake Forest, Akron and Southern Miss

Q: Why did you commit to Akron? What about it was intriguing?

A: I committed to Akron because it just was a perfect fit for me and I have alot of family in Ohio and I love the coaching staff.

It's inconclusive, as player quotes always are. Those who want to believe that LeBron has minimal effect on UA recruiting can point out that BJ doesn't directly cite LeBron as a reason why he chose UA. Those who do want to believe in the LeBron effect can point out that BJ looks up to LeBron more than any other player, and that he had to have known that being at UA would give him an opportunity to actually meet and scrimmage against the player he looks up to more than any other.

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Following is part of a Q&A with BJ about his commitment to UA:

It's inconclusive, as player quotes always are. Those who want to believe that LeBron has minimal effect on UA recruiting can point out that BJ doesn't directly cite LeBron as a reason why he chose UA. Those who do want to believe in the LeBron effect can point out that BJ looks up to LeBron more than any other player, and that he had to have known that being at UA would give him an opportunity to actually meet and scrimmage against the player he looks up to more than any other.

I think that pretty much falls in line with my opinion of LeBron's impact. I obviously don't think it hurts at all to have the best basketball player in the NBA associated with your program. I also don't think LeBron is actively assisting in recruiting or that any recruit would list LeBron's association with the program in their top five reasons for coming to UA.

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Zips getting a little love for recognizing Antino's potential. Future150 points out that Antino really didn't start getting much attention outside of Texas until his senior season, and Hustle Belt notes that while there aren't many players from Texas in the MAC, Antino appears to have the skills to fit right in. Antino even invokes the LeBron factor for those keeping track of such things:

I trust Coach D’s development skills. Kind of hard to ignore the players he has coached. Guys like LeBron and Dru Joyce. I couldn’t turn down this opportunity.
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