Long Beach State Men’s Basketball Head Coach Dan Monson today announced that three talented high school seniors have signed National Letters of Intent to join the program for the 2016-17 season.
The class consists of two local Southern California wing players in Jordan Griffin and Javonntie Jackson, as well as a top prep point guard in Florida’s Loren “Cristian” Jackson. All three recruits were three-star rated by ESPN.com. Griffin and Jackson are both California Top 30 recruits.
“We have our whole team coming back next year, except for two perimeter players in Nick Faust and A.J. Spencer, and we addressed that need in bringing in two of the best wings in the area,” said Monson in a statement. “Added to that, Cristian just gives us a winning mentality at the point guard position.”
All three figure to get thrown into the fire at some point during their first year, as Monson typically schedules several difficult non-conference opponents each season from the power conferences.
The 6'3" Griffin is a scorer who can both drive and shoot the three at a high level. He comes from a perennial CIF playoff team in Corona Centennial, following in the footsteps of former Long Beach State star Mike Caffey. He was named by ESPN.com as the No. 16 recruit in California.
“He comes from a good program, where we know that they’ve been coached, they know how to win, and they know how to play defense," said Monson. "Jordan, with all of that being said, is one of the elite shooters in the area. I think he really complements Javonntie; he’s smaller, but the two of them together can be the future of our program on the wing positions.”
The 6'6" Jackson is a wing who was rated by ESPN.com as the No. 27 recruit in California. Coming out of Compton High School, the home of DeMar DeRozan, Jackson works out with the Toronto Raptors star often, and the results are obvious. Long and rangy, Jackson is a scorer and defends multiple positions. He helped Compton win the Southern Section 2AA Championship one season ago with 14 points and 18 rebounds in the championship game.
“He fits the mold of a small forward, but he can play multiple positions," said Monson of Jackson. "He gives us someone that can help us guard on the perimeter, help us rebound, and help us score both inside and out. His versatility really adds a great dimension to the program. He’s a local kid that wanted to stay home, and we’re happy he did because we think he has a huge upside.”
The 5'7" Cristian Jackson is a point guard from Victory Rock Prep school in Florida, who can both run the team and score despite being undersized. Jackson has shown the ability to break down defenses, and is an excellent passer. A native of Chicago, Jackson was rated by ESPN as the No. 2 point guard prospect from Illinois.
“What I love about Cristian is that he measures his success on how his team does," said Monson. "I think he’s a great leader, and a winner, and you can’t get enough guys in your program that know how to win. He is a coach’s son from an excellent program, he has a coaches’ IQ on the floor, and I think he’s going to help with the culture of our program.”
By Staff of TheDailySportsHerald.com and news services
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