Las Vegas Sun

March 19, 2024

Rebels basketball:

Findlay Prep forward feels at home with UNLV, coaching staff

Justin Jackson

Courtesy of Findlay Prep

Findlay Prep forward Justin Jackson brings the ball up the court at Bishop Gorman High during the 2013-14 season. Jackson, a top-30 player in the class of 2016, committed to UNLV.

Click to enlarge photo

UNLV head coach Dave Rice and assistant coach Todd Simon talk during the Bishop Gorman vs. Findlay Prep basketball game Saturday, Jan. 25, 2014, at South Point. Gorman won 76-72 in overtime. Rice's brother Grant Rice is the Gorman coach, while Simon previously coached Findlay Prep.

When Todd Simon joined UNLV’s coaching staff last year, the Rebels’ recruiting results figured to pick up at Henderson’s Findlay Prep. So far that’s been the case as Monday’s commitment from class of 2016 forward Justin Jackson marked the second time a player Simon recruited to the Pilots followed him to the Rebels.

“We had a good relationship, and once he got to UNLV he got coach (Dave) Rice involved,” Jackson said of Simon. “… It just felt like the right situation and the right fit.”

Jackson, listed at 6-foot-8 and 220 pounds, knew about Findlay Prep before the top-30 junior forward was recruited there starting a couple of years ago. A Toronto native, he saw the success fellow Canadians Cory Joseph and Anthony Bennett had in the program, and the desert climate certainly seemed more to his liking.

Now entering his second season at Findlay, he’s committed to follow the college choice of Bennett and former Pilots teammate Rashad Vaughn, the other guy Simon helped recruit to both programs.

“Rashad, he’s like a big brother to me,” Jackson said. “He’s going through the program now and I see what they’re doing with him, and that’s sort of the same thing they’re going to do with me.”

Jackson is the first UNLV commit in the class of 2016. The Rebels are still looking for their first commitment in the class of 2015, when they’ll have a minimum of two scholarships to fill — replacing seniors Cody Doolin and Jelan Kendrick — and likely a few more as the annual offseason transfer carousel kicks into gear.

Findlay Prep coach Andy Johnson said he will use Jackson all over the court during the next two years. Jackson said he could play any position from one through four. It’s unlikely he would ever play point guard at UNLV, but the ball-handling skills for a player his size mean Jackson could grab a rebound and lead fast breaks or be an offensive threat from the perimeter.

“I can grab the ball and go, and I’m not selfish,” Jackson said. “I’m a playmaker. I like to look for my teammates first.”

Jackson said he talked to Bennett before making his commitment and he’s been in constant contact with Vaughn, who’s unlikely to still be around when Jackson would suit up for the 2016-17 season. The feedback they gave him backed up his feelings about Las Vegas as a second home, so although he had been considering other schools such as Arizona and Baylor, Jackson didn’t see any reason to drag on his recruitment.

“I felt like it was the right thing to do, just getting it over with so I can focus on getting better, getting stronger, getting faster and doing the things I need to do to be successful in college,” he said.

With the college decision out of the way, Jackson will focus on adding to his skill set and maturing his game in a way that benefits his current and future teammates. And he knows exactly whom to call for tips on what to work on.

“If I had a bad game, I know some coaches that would tell me that I had a great game, and I don’t really like that type of stuff,” Jackson said. “Coach Todd, he’ll keep it real with me from the jump.”

Taylor Bern can be reached at 948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Taylor on Twitter at twitter.com/taylorbern.

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