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Trishton Jackson wisely shows paitence making his decision on college
West Bloomfield – Regardless of what decision Trishton Jackson of West Bloomfield makes next year or in 2016 his decision not to decide at this time is the right one.
Jackson is one of those rare athletes who has the opportunity to play more than one sport in college. Jackson is a 6-foot-2, 185-pound junior who was one of the top quarterbacks in the Metro Detroit area this past season. And as a basketball player he’s one of the top guards in the area.
This past season Jackson led West Bloomfield to the school’s first state playoff victory and in one game accounted for seven touchdowns and nearly 500 yards in offense. And this was his first season as the starting quarterback.
He was one of West Bloomfield’s top scorers as a sophomore and in the Lakers second game this season Jackson had six 3-pointers and scored 40 points.
He’s received one Division I scholarship offer (Western Michigan) for football but no Division I school has offered him a scholarship for basketball. That ladder fact is likely to change soon.
Jackson is not in a hurry. He and his family have discussed the options, the possibilities of playing in college, football or basketball, but that decision does not top their wish list. What they do discuss is Jackson’s continual improvement in both sports and the time comes to make a decision they will make it together.
So often we’ve seen high-profiled athletes commit to a school early then months later change their mind. The recruiting process, especially for a junior, is long and can be tedious and stressful.
One only has to look back to Drake Harris to see that. Harris was a Division I recruit in basketball and football at Grand Rapids Christian. Initially he committed to Michigan State with designs on playing both in college. Before his senior year in 2013 Harris de-committed and soon after committed to Michigan for football. Harris came to the decision that he only wanted to play one sport in college, football, and determined U-M was the best place to play that one sport.
Other athletes like Drew Henson of Brighton, the No. 1 Blue Chip prospect in 1998, according to the Detroit News, competed in baseball and football at U-M and played both professionally. One could argue that if Henson had concentrated on one sport he would have become more proficient at that sport but that’s all conjecture.
What Jackson must realize, and so far that seems to be the case, is that he is still developing as an athlete and as a person, and that over time people change. Harris said when he entered high school basketball was his sport. But as he grew physically Harris decided that football was his No. 1 sport.
Time is on Jackson’s side. Some of the best advice someone can give him is to have fun in high school. Enjoy the experience then weigh your options when the time comes. Jackson is fortunate in many ways. Sure he’s a gifted athlete. But there are many gifted athletes. What Jackson has, at least from the outside looking in, is a strong family base. There are people close to him that care and when the time comes to make that decision on where to go and the decision on what sport to play he will have the support of his family.
Jackson said he doesn’t think playing both sports in college is a realistic option. He said he will attend football camps in the late spring and summer, and continue to play AAU basketball. And maybe in the fall of 2015 Jackson will be ready to make that important decision.
