Living in nearby Mishawaka, Demetrius Jackson has been to plenty of Notre Dame basketball games, but none like Saturday night’s upset over top-ranked Syracuse.
“That was really exciting because I’ve never witnessed anything like that, a team taking on a number one team, especially being Notre Dame,” said Jackson, a 6-foot-1, 180-pound junior guard from Marian High School. “It was a good thing to see. They were ecstatic.
“It was crazy. That was the biggest crowd I’ve ever seen at Notre Dame and I’ve been to a few games, even when I was younger. It was a packed house and with the student section back, it was crazy. It was hard for me not to cheer.”
Jackson didn’t storm the floor with the Notre Dame student section, but did manage to find his way into the Notre Dame locker room afterward.
“I didn’t rush the court, I went down on the court, but I didn’t want to get trampled,” he said. “I experienced it, but I didn’t go all out.”
Inside the locker room, Jackson had the chance to speak with the Irish coaches.
“We mainly talked about the victory and how the guys played hard,” said Jackson. “We also talked a little bit about where I’d fit in in the whole situation and some of the special things they think we’d be able to do together.”
Notre Dame signed a trio of forwards in the Class of 2012 – 6-foot-10 Zach Auguste, 6-foot-9 Austin Burgett and 6-foot-7 Cameron Biedsceid, who could also play guard. The Irish already have a pair of commits from swingmen in the Class of 2013 – 6-foot-6 V.J. Beachem and 6-foot-4 Steve Vasturia.
They’re looking for Jackson, who could play either guard spot, to complete their 2013 recruiting haul.
“They have some great players coming in and they really think I could lead the team, lead the charge,” Jackson said. “They have some really great guys coming in, mainly bigger guys. What they said now is all they need is a guard to finish the puzzle.”
Being the hometown recruit has been a positive with regard to Jackson’s relationship with Notre Dame and he doesn’t feel any pressure to hurry a commitment.
“I love Notre Dame, but I also strongly like some other colleges too,” said Jackson. “I’m just taking it one step at a time. I just want to take my time so I make a great decision. I don’t want to regret it. I’ll have to live with this decision for the rest of my life, so I’m taking my time.”
Jackson considered making a commitment last month, but decided to wait. In addition to the offer from Notre Dame, he has offers from Michigan State, Butler and Xavier and is also listening to a couple other programs.
“Same schools,” he said. “Michigan State, Butler, Xavier, Illinois. The same basic schools. Florida State has been contacting me a little but more.”
Jackson is now planning an announcement after his high school season is complete. Jackson has already had one highlight this season go viral with a dunk against South Bend Washington, which you can see here.
“It feels great to get the crowd pumped up, get my teammates pumped up and get myself pumped up,” Jackson said of the dunk. “I love to make exciting plays and it makes everything more exciting to get everybody fired up.”
Jackson hasn’t taken any other visits recently and doesn’t have any planned at this point either.
The recruiting calendar allows high school basketball players to sign National Letters of Intent twice during the year. Other dates to watch out for:
