2025 Shareef Jackson has burst onto the scene
Shareef Jackson has been making a name for himself in this breakout season. The 6-foot-8 sophomore is holding down the post for his top-25 ranked Philadelphia (PA) Roman Catholic team, pulling down consistent double-doubles.
“I play toward the basics, rebounding, defense, and assists,” Jackson told On3. “That always comes first in my game. After that, with the ball, I’m checking to get the defender off foot to give me the advantage to get around them. I watch a lot of Draymond Green for how he plays and moves on defense. The next step in developing for me is continuing to work on my shot. With the way, not even just the league, but basketball as a whole is being played, you’re seeing a lot more teams shooting threes.”
Despite his age, college programs have already started to take notice of Jackson. However, he is staying grounded with his recruitment and working on his improvement.
“I have two offers right now, from St. Joseph’s and LaSalle,” Jackson said. “Schools like Georgetown are talking to us, but right now, it’s really not about the offers; it’s about getting better and winning.”
Jackson’s dad, Marc Jackson, played at Temple, where he scored over 1,050 in three seasons before being drafted in 1997. Jackson ended up playing seven seasons in the NBA, where he averaged 8.4 points for his career.
“My dad has been teaching me my entire lifetime,” Jackson said. “But now, he’s mainly teaching me how to think the game. For so long, in AAU, it’s just mostly one-on-one. In high school, they play a lot differently from game to game. He’s been working with me on game plans and how to adjust in-game.”
In Jackson’s words
“When I go on the visits, and as this recruiting process gets going for me, I’m not going to be looking exactly at if this team is a good fit,” Jackson said. “I’ll be asking, ‘can I come to this team and make a difference?’ I’m going to make sure I have all the basics right in my game, and then I’ll be able to find a school that suits me and my game, that has a plan for me.”