I know coaches like to get the jump on their rivals by getting a kid’s verbal commitment early, but this is ridiculous. Dave Rose has offered a scholarship to 6'1" guard Frank Jackson, and Jackson has accepted. The rub is that Jackson isn’t expected to suit up for Brigham Young until 2018.
It’s not as bad as it sounds. Jackson is actually a high school sophomore, which isn’t so far off the pale. He’s planning to take a two-year mission for the Church of Latter Day Saints right after he matriculates, however, so Rose’s offer to honor Jackson’s service and hold a spot for him until he’s done with his mission makes a lot of sense.
The highly-regarded local product has been on the school’s radar for some time, according to Jay Drew of the Salt Lake Tribune:Jackson played his freshman season at Lehi High School, averaging 10 points a game for the Pioneers. His family moved into the Lone Peak boundaries last spring.
Jackson scored 30 points against Lone Peak last February in a 90-71 loss to the Knights, ironically. He also had big games against Pleasant Grove, scoring 27 and 21 points in two outings against the Vikings.
“There’s no question he’s a highly regarded player,” Lone Peak coach Quincy Lewis told The Salt Lake Tribune in June.
Jackson has attended BYU team camps for several years. He averaged 1.3 assists per game for Lehi last season.
Patience has always paid off for BYU and other Utah schools. Talented players from the LDS Church tend to stay with the local schools, take their missions, and return with tons of life experience and maturity to go with their basketball abilities. Our latest example is super-scorer Tyler Haws, who was profiled by Rob Dauster last season. Rose has done an excellent job of identifying talent and keeping the right kids close to home in recent seasons, so we’ll be interested to see if Jackson is worth the wait as well.
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