What will Jackson’s return mean for the Grizzlies?
Since he led Christian Brothers’ to the DII-AA semifinals and finished as a Division II-AA Mr. Basketball finalist, Chandler Jackson has been playing on the EYBL circuit with Team Thad.
He added several offers this month including George Mason, TCU, and Memphis. He said he was excited to hear from Memphis coach Penny Hardaway last week.
“I’ve been waiting on it. I’ve been waiting on this offer for a minute,” Jackson said. “It’s my hometown. Not many people have the opportunity to play for their hometown.”
Jackson said the chance to play for Hardaway is the biggest thing that stands out about Memphis other than its location.
“He played point guard in the NBA and that’s the position I play, point guard,” Jackson said. “He knows everything, he knows what he’s talking about, and he knows how to get you to the league. He’s just the kind of coach you want to play for.
“You can’t pass up learning from an EX-NBA player. Like, you can’t. That’s something I like a lot about Vanderbilt too because they have Coach (Jerry) Stackhouse coaching there.”
Jackson, a 6-foot-4, 205-pound guard is the No. 9 prospect in the state for the Class of 2022 according to the 247Sports Composite. His other offers include Alabama, Auburn, Vanderbilt, Creighton, and Missouri.
He averaged 17.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists this season as Christian Brothers won 20 games in a row before falling to Brentwood Academy in the state semifinals. Jackson said that he's not sure if he will take an official visit to Memphis because it is so close by and he will have plenty of opportunities for unofficial visits. He listed Auburn, Alabama, and Virginia Tech as schools that he wants to take an official visit to.
“Auburn. I took an unofficial there and I want to take an official there,” Jackson said. “I want to go to Virginia Tech. I want to go to every school that's interested in me, Auburn, Bama, I've been there but it will probably be a better experience with an official visit.”
Memphis has also offered a pair of Jackson's Team Thad teammates in 6foot-6 MHEA wing Justin Morgan and Solomon Washington, a 6-foot-7 forward from New Orleans. Bartlett guard Amarr Knox, who committed to the Tigers in January is also on the team.