Jackson a Sun Devil; Fresno City Update
Vance Walberg will have a tough time picking who to root for when Stanford plays Arizona State next winter.
That's because two guards he coached at Clovis West H.S. in Fresno, Calif., will likely be locking horns when the Cardinal and Sun Devils do battle.
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Arizona State locked up one of those guards, strong 6-2 combo Tyrone Jackson of Fresno City College in California, on Monday when the Ram sophomore committed to the Sun Devils.
Coach Walberg, who also coached Jackson for the past two years at Fresno City College, confirmed the commitment. He coached both Jackson and Stanford starting point guard Chris Hernandez at Clovis West three years ago.
"He just clicked with them," Walberg said of Jackson's attraction to Arizona State. "He had a great time on his visit, and he feels he has a chance to step in and play with one of the best players in the country in Ike Diogu."
Jackson took his only official visit of the spring to ASU from March 26-28. In the fall, he took official trips to both St. Mary's and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
Once the season started, however, Jackson's recruitment kicked into high gear. He heard overtures from programs such as San Diego State, Brigham Young, Washington, Oregon, Oklahoma, Pittsburgh and Southern Cal.
By committing to Arizona State, Jackson scuttled plans to visit San Diego State from Apr. 10-12.
"He had a lot of options," Walberg said.
In the end, the chance to play in the PAC 10 and attend college in a warm weather environment aided the Sun Devil cause.
Jackson was a big reason for the Rams' success over the past two years. Last year, Fresno City reached the state title game, where it lost to Los Angeles City College.
This season, top-seeded Fresno lost to eighth-seeded American River College in the round of 16. American River went on to the title game, where it lost to Compton College.
Jackson averaged 23.8 points per game (third in the state), collecting 6.4 rebounds, 7.6 assists and 3.8 steals per outing. He shot 46 percent from the floor, 32 percent beyond the arc and 65 percent from the foul line.
Walberg said that Arizona State plans on playing Jackson at the one.
JUCO Junction has had the chance to see Jackson several times over the past two years. Blessed with a rugged physique, he's an adroit penetrator who can get into the lane and draw contact.
Jackson uses a power dribble to manuever around the defense, but his southpaw shooting stroke isn't consistent at this stage. In fact, he has a bit of a low release point on his jumper.
We suspect that with scorers like Ike Diogu and Bryson Krueger at the forward slots, Jackson won't be counted on to score as much for the Sun Devils.
"He's so effective at getting to the rack," Walberg noted. "He won't have to be the man and score, score, score like he did for us."
A trio of other Ram sophs are also mulling over their college options this spring.
Jason Walberg, a 6-3, 180 pound shooting guard, has committed to St. Mary's College of the West Coast Conference. He's the son of the Fresno City head coach.
"St. Mary's really did a good job," Vance Walberg said. "They've been on him since last year."
Walberg visited St. Mary's campus in Moraga, Calif., in the fall along with Jackson.
While he has a slow release on his jumper (needs time/space to get off), Walberg established himself as one of the state's top three-point marksmen over the past two seasons.
He connected on 306 treys in the Rams' high octane offensive attack. Even though he can't create off the bounce, Walberg seems to excel at making shots when the defense breaks down.
This past season, Walberg averaged 23.7 points, ranking fourth in the state. He shot 51 percent from the field, 48 percent beyond the arc and 74 percent from the foul line. He connected on 142 treys this past season.
Adam Wall, an offensive-minded 5-11, 175 pound shooting/combo guard, is looking at some good Division II/NAIA options.
Wall averaged 14 points and 2.8 assists per game, and connected on 102 three-pointers at a 44 percent success rate. He also hit 89 percent from the charity stripe.
Coach Walberg said that Mesa State in Colorado and Concordia University in California have shown the most interest in Wall, who has an awkward push release on his jumper.
Lesego Molebatsi, a 6-6 1/2, 220 pound power forward, is getting some Division I and Division II looks.
On an team known for pushing tempo and hoisting three-pointers, Molebatsi was sometimes a forgotten man. The Rams averaged a whopping 109 points per game with their guard oriented attack.
"Lesego is a good athlete who runs the floor, defends and rebounds," Walberg said. "He has questionable hands, but if he winds up on the Division II level, someone is going to get a steal."
Marist and Cal-Poly Pomona have contacted Walberg regarding Molebatsi. Originally from South Africa, Molebatsi is solid in the classroom with close to a 3.0 GPA, the coach said.