By Sean Moylan, Sports Writer
Cedric “The Entertainer” Jackson, the greatest player in the history of Northern Burlington High boys’ basketball, knocked down 9-of-14 shots and scored 27 points to lead the Cleveland State University men’s basketball squad to a stunning 69-66 overtime victory over a previously unbeaten Florida State team in this past Saturday’s Glenn Wilkes Classic at Daytona Beach.
For the third time in the Vikings’ first five games, Jackson, a junior guard, led the Vikings in scoring. He was even selected as the Horizon Conference Men’s Varsity Basketball Player of the Week. For Herman Johnson, the boys’ varsity basketball head coach at NBC, Jackson’s emergence as a college superstar is a long overdue one, largely not of his own making.
”My initial reaction to Cedric’s success is it really comes as no surprise. He’s playing like he’s capable of playing. He’s playing like Cedric ‘The Entertainer’ Jackson. He’s in the right situation and his new coach (Gary Waters) has him playing to his strengths,” said Johnson. “He played 43 minutes versus Florida State.”
According to Johnson, Coach Waters believes that Jackson has the potential to make the All-Conference team this year and battle for the Conference Player of the Year next season. Jackson is averaging a team-high 20.6 points a game and he is 10 for 20 from beyond the three-point arc with an overall field goal average of .525. He is averaging 4.4 rebounds a game and he has 14 steals in five games.
”He’s playing with so much confidence. He’s playing the same style of basketball he played for us at Northern Burlington,” added Johnson of Jackson.
For a while, it looked as though Jackson’s college career would never really take flight the way it should. Four years ago Jackson was playing for Saint John’s in the Big East, where he was one of the most misused players in D-1 basketball. A creative scorer with great passing skills, Jackson started most nights with Saint John’s, and averaged 4.1 points, with 3.6 rebounds and 1.8 steals as a freshman. By his sophomore year, however, it became apparent that the Red Storm basically wanted him for his strong defense (he had 13 multi-steal games with Saint John’s). Moreover, if he stayed at Saint John’s he would never average over 10 points a game again.
”Over at Saint John’s they looked at him as the third guard in a three-guard offense,” said Johnson, who knew that Jackson, who had scored 26 points a game to make the New Jersey All-State team in his senior year of high school, had so much more to give. Waters saw the player Johnson “could be” and invited him to join his Vikings. But first he had to sit out last season because of the NCAA transfer rules.
”The year off really helped him. It gave him an opportunity to improve his jump shot by taking 700 to 800 shots a day,” said Johnson. Jackson’s body was also able to recover from the nightly beatings every Big East starter has to deal with over the course his career.
By the time this season started Johnson was fresh and ready to be “Action Jackson” again. He’s scoring again without sacrificing anything on the defensive end. Always a team player, Jackson is a quiet leader who would have never demanded the ball at Saint John’s. He’s happy to be playing his style of basketball again. Cleveland State is a good fit for him.
”The coaches over there (at Cleveland State University) couldn’t be more happy and proud of him,” said Johnson. He’s turned himself into an NBA prospect.”
Johnson knew what he had in Jackson the second he laid eyes on him. In three years at NBC, Johnson scored over 1,500 points. And he was just as good a player at the defensive end of the court. Cedric “The Entertainer” Jackson is back on center stage and his old coach and friend Herman Johnson and NBC basketball fans couldn’t be any happier.

