By JACK LeGWIN
Duke has its point guard of the future.
In a move that was expected for some time, Frank Jackson of Lone Peak (UT) committed to the reigning national champs on Tuesday night.
“I’ll be going to Duke next season,” Jackson said in an exclusive interview with Evan Daniels of Scout. “When I went on my visit it was pretty clear to me that it was the best spot for me and I felt really comfortable with it. I made the decision to go there.”
Jackson will also wait to take his Mormon mission, which means that he will be a rotation player right away for the Blue Devils.
One of the top point guards in the Class of 2016, Jackson averaged 24 points, 4 rebounds, 2.7 assists in 10 games for the Utah Prospects on the Adidas Gauntlet.
The 6-foot-3 Jackson, ranked No. 13 in the class of 2016 by 247 Sports, had been predicted to go to Duke by 100 percent of experts on the Crystal Ball.
Jackson told SNY.tv in New York at the Elite 24 that Duke had been in touch with him a lot recently.
“At least three or four times a week,” Jackson said.
Jackson said that the success of past point guards that have gone to Duke, including Tyus Jones and Quinn Cook has factored into his decision.
“Oh yeah, you go to Duke you’re going to be successful, so definitely appealing,” he said over the summer.
Jackson’s coach on the Gauntlet said that he believes Jackson will open up opportunities for his teammates.
“I think Frank’s biggest strength is his ability to score with ease and that opens up everything else for him,” Utah Prospects coach Tim Davis told Scout. “I think what people will see more in college than in high school and AAU is his ability to be a play maker from all levels. It’s going to open up a lot for other guys.”
Jackson is the second player to commit to the Blue Devils, joining small forward Jayson Tatum, the projected No. 2 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by DraftExpress.com. Duke is also the favorite to get Tatum’s good friend, and No. 1 ranked player in the nation, Harry Giles.
Duke will host Giles and bigs Marcus Bolden and Wenyen Gabriel in coming weeks.
Jackson was also considering Stanford, Utah and BYU.
