He left Spire Academy where Melo played with him. Rocket Watts of Michigan State was teammate too as was a kid from MN Terry Lockett who returned to Minnehaha Academy to play with Jalen Suggs and friends.
Jackson was one of the best players at Nike Top 100 prior to JR season last year. He really jumped up in eyes of coaches/evaluators there. Shot Blocking, finishing at rim....and I'd be really glad to see him choose UK, but don't see any comparison of Keion Brooks in terms of game. Keion more skilled at this point but Jackson is a bouncier athlete. He'll be a huge defensive presence wherever he ends up.
You’re right, he did turn a few heads and there was a lot of optimism about his growth. However, he didn’t quite make the jump this past spring/summer like people had hoped, specifically his offense. This is what caused him to slide in some rankings and the reason there are a couple of services that do not have him listed as a five-star, or at least on the fringe of it.
And I would still say he is similar to Keion, like I said. Shot-blocking, rebounding, running the floor and helping with his length in space—this is Keion’s role this year and Isaiah’s would be very similar if not the same. Also, if Isaiah can out jump Keion, that would be impressive; Keion has the highest vertical on this year’s team. For some reason there are some people who have this narrative that Keion isn’t overly athletic, but I think we have seen some instances in the first couple games that really challenges that.
Also, something to watch for: Rocket Watts apparently was quite the headache for Michigan State to deal with in terms of eligibility. Apparently, this could be similar for Isaiah, which supposedly was the reason Michigan State stopped recruiting him. I don’t know the depth of it, but it allegedly has to do with Spire Academy; it seems there might be some more work that has to be done in terms of academics. But, if it was something too serious, I imagine UK would have stopped recruiting him, too.
