May 15, 1998
Larry Jackson of Trumbull, Conn., has signed a national letter- of-intent to play college basketball at Texas A&M, Aggies head coach Melvin Watkins said Friday.
A 6-10, 255-pound center, Jackson averaged 14.2 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocked shots per game last season at St. Josephs School, earning all-state honors. A two-year starter, he led the team to the state finals and a 22-4 record as a junior and a 19-6 mark as a senior. He was also nominated to the McDonald's High School All-America Team.
"Physically, Larry is a very imposing young man," St. Josephs coach Veto Montelli said. "He's only 17 years old so his body is not fully developed yet. He needs to get stronger and quicker, but he has extremely soft hands and is a good rebounder and passer. He just has a tremendous upside."
"Larry will give us some size in the middle," Watkins said. "He has a very good shooting touch, but he needs to get stronger. We're excited about what he can bring to our program."
TEXAS A&M BASKETBALL SIGNEES Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl-Ex Hometown (High School/College) Clifton Cook G 6-1 170 Jr-Tr Dayton, Ohio (Dunbar HS/Howard College) Larry Jackson C/F 6-10 255 Fr-Hs Trumbull, Conn. (St. Josephs School) Joe White* C/F 6-10 230 Fr-Hs San Antonio, Texas (Taft HS) *signed in November early signing period