Georgetown Basketball: Top 10 players that played for John Thompson II
7. Derrick Jackson (1975-78)
Career stats: 15.3 ppg and 2.6 apg
It’s hard to explain, but Georgetown Basketball was an independent when Coach Thompson arrived but played its postseason games for the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC). They’ve had their issues winning the conference tournament and getting a bid to the NCAA Tournament, a feat they haven’t accomplished in over 30 years.
As a freshman, Jackson sought to end that. He made one of the best shots in program, history, beating West Virginia in the ECAC finals to seal the Hoyas bid to the 1975 NCAA Tournament. He was already a double-digit scorer as a freshman but saw his numbers take a big leap in his final three seasons.
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Jackson went on to lead the Hoyas in the next three years, ranging from 16.8-17.8 ppg. Consistency was the key to his success, reaching double figures in most of his games while shooting nearly 50% from the field, highly impressive for a 6’1 scoring guard. He went on to become the program’s all-time leading scorer at the time and the first to crack the 1,500-point mark.
Although health issues derailed Jackson at the end of his senior campaign, his and the team’s success provided a pathway for the Hoyas to be part of the Big East Conference. Without him, the team would’ve been mid-tier and struggle to gain national prominence. But starting with that game-winner, Jackson’s impact proved to be tremendous for Georgetown.