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Four College Basketball Players with the Biggest Shoes to Fill in 2015-2016

By Matt Ostrowski

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Demetrius Jackson (Point Guard), Notre Dame

Mar 28, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Demetrius Jackson (11) loses control of the ball while guarded by Kentucky Wildcats guard Tyler Ulis (3) during the first half in the finals of the midwest regional of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Let’s play a game with some advanced stats…

Player A: 125.6 offensive rating, 104.0 defensive rating, 59% true shooting percentage

Player B: 124.6 offensive rating, 104.0 defensive rating, 61.6% true shooting percentage

They both look pretty similar on paper, right? Well player A is former teammate and All-American, Jerian Grant. Player B is Jackson.

Here’s the thing about Demetrius Jackson: he’s already great, but nobody has noticed. Last year, when you thought of Notre Dame, you thought of Grant. Nobody ever thought about their other point guard, Jackson.

I’m not saying Jackson is going to all of the sudden become one of the best players in the country like Grant was, but I would be shocked if he didn’t have Notre Dame competing for a top three spot in the ACC. Obviously, the stats are somewhat skewed for defenses changing their entire gameplan for Grant, but the two aren’t really that far off in terms of talent.

He might be the quickest point guard in the country, and that’s really saying something with guys like Melo Trimble in the conversation. He’s also ridiculously athletic.

Keep in mind, he’s only 6’1″. He put the 7’2″ Isaac Haas on a poster. Haas is over a foot taller than Jackson.

Apart from the flash, Jackson gets it done in crafty ways, too. Whether he’s going up strong or contorting his body to stave off the shot blockers, Jackson is effective at all of it, shooting over 50% from inside the arc. From the outside, he shot the three at a rate of 43%, and at the free throw line, 75%.

There’s nothing Jackson can’t do on the offensive end. He’s not a great defender, but in a similar fashion to Allen, that’s never stopped Mike Brey from playing someone, and unfortunately, I’m not even sure he teaches his teams how to play defense. Regardless, it should be fun to watch Jackson on the other side of the floor this year. The ball will be in his hands a great majority of the time. No more sharing with Grant. I expect him to be the much talked about point guard of Notre Dame this season.

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