Jackson Williams Becomes Duquesne's 1st Commitment for 2026

Head coach Dru Joyce and the Duquesne men’s basketball program have received their first commitment for the Class of 2026.

Following an official visit to Duquesne last weekend, 2026 Spire Academy 6’4″ guard Jackson Williams has announced his commitment to the Dukes. Williams made an official visit to Boston University along with Miami of Ohio and had other ones scheduled to Liberty, Florida Atlantic and UC San Diego.

Joyce and his staff personally watched Williams at various AAU games, where he had a tremendous summer, particularly at a tournament in Wichita, Kansas.

Williams is described as an elite defender, that uses lateral quickness and physicality to guard defenders. Because of his size, Williams has the ability to create his own shot. He’s also a 4.0 student in the classroom.

Pittsburgh Sports Now caught up with Williams and asked him what led him to Duquesne?

“Obviously they have a great coaching staff and a lot of help that surround that program,” Williams tells PSN. “But in the end, I felt that Duquesne has the best potential for me to become the best version of myself and compete at a high level.”

Making the trip to Pittsburgh for the visit was key as it allowed Williams to be around the staff, players and to see the city of Pittsburgh.

“I actually never had been to Pittsburgh before, so I found out that it’s a really nice city. I actually learned that some of Batman was filmed there. I didn’t know that, but I could tell by how the city was laid out at night and it definitely looked like Gotham a little bit. I learned that the city was amazing and the people there are really good and nice people. I really enjoyed my visit.”

“Through the recruiting process, I developed a good relationship with Coach Joyce. I learned that he played overseas and has helped develop a lot of players and knows what it takes to get to that next level to become a pro,” said Williams. “I also learned that he’s really close friends with LeBron and has great connections to the NBA. He’s a very knowledgeable coach that knows what he’s doing.”

As we wrapped up our conversation, Williams wanted to let Duquesne fans know the type of person and player that will be coming to their program.

“I’m a very outgoing person who is very passionate about the game. I play the game 1000% hard out there and I love the game of basketball, and I love to win. I’m a player that loves to compete and will do whatever it takes to get a dub and bring winning back to Pittsburgh.”