Purdue's young team seems to have some good scorers who can create their own looks, but are in desperate need of a "set up" man...A slashing point guard who can shoot well-enough to draw attention, but can cut to the heart of a defense to draw the double-team and dish to the open man. I think Purdue will have exactly that next season when Lewis Jackson joins the team.
Jackson drew offers from Illinois, IU, USC and others, but chose Purdue due to Cuonzo Martin and Matt Painter's long-term interest in him. At the time of the signing, many, myself included, didn't think of Jackson as a guy who could make a difference right away. Now, after a tremendous weekend of basketball, Jackson is looking like a very real threat to make noise next season for our Boilers.
Battling the flu, Jackson scored 28 points, had 9 assists and six rebounds...in just over three quarters. He was named tourney MVP as his team won the Holiday Tournament that they played in last weekend. He averaged about 30 pts./gm. He wasn't playing a bunch of cream puffs either, he plays in the basketball talent-rich state of Illinois.
Rivals.com calls LewJack the most athletic and fastest player out of his state this year. By description, he reminds me of Dee Brown from Illinois...that wouldn't be too bad if he was similar to Brown. I'm positive that this year's Freshman class is looking forward to the addition of Jackson in '08-'09.