1. Jim Jackson, Macomber ‘89 (192 points): What, you expected different?
A Macman among boys in his prep years at Macomber, Jackson was the panel’s runaway pick, receiving 16 of 20 first-place votes. As retired Blade columnist John Gugger put it this week, “JJ came into high school as a freshman with a college senior’s body, a veteran NBA point guard’s vision, and Mother Teresa’s unselfishness.”
What followed was the show of a lifetime.
Jackson became the state’s biggest prep sensation since Jerry Lucas (Middletown), one rim-rattling slam and no-look pass at a time. His senior year, the two-time Ohio Mr. Basketball winner averaged 31.5 points, 11.2 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 3 steals, and led the Macmen to a Division I state title.
At Ohio State, he was no less sensational, earning national player of the year honors in 1992 before foregoing his senior season to enter the draft. Selected fourth by the Dallas Mavericks, Jackson played for 12 teams in 14 NBA seasons.