Jackson Jr. Named D3hoops.com Northeast Rookie of the Year
WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – The postseason recognitions continue to roll in for University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's basketball freshman Delshawn Jackson Jr. (Hartford, Conn.), who was most recently named the D3hoops.com Northeast Region Rookie of the Year, it was announced on Monday afternoon when D3hoops.com announced its 2018-19 All-Region teams. Jackson Jr. adds the honor after being tabbed the 2018-19 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Rookie of the Year and All-GNAC Third Team selection following the conclusion of the GNAC Tournament.
D3HOOPS.COM ALL-NORTHEAST REGION TEAM
The regional Rookie of the Year award honors the top freshman in each region, while D3hoops.com also names a regional Coach of the Year and Player of the Year in addition to the All-Region teams. Regions that have fewer than 40 Division III teams have two All-Region teams, while the Northeast, which is near twice the size of all other regions, has four teams, and all other regions have three teams.
Jackson Jr. becomes the first student-athlete in USJ history across all sports to earn the Northeast Region Rookie of the Year award after becoming the fifth student-athlete to earn GNAC Rookie of the Year honors. He is the first-ever male student-athlete to garner each title as USJ is it its first year as a fully co-educational undergraduate institution.
Jackson Jr. was one of two players to start in all 28 games on the year for USJ and finished the Blue Jays' inaugural season averaging 16.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game under legendary Hall of Fame head coach Jim Calhoun. His 16.5 points per game ranked 12th best in the GNAC while 4.1 assists per game were fifth-best.
The Hartford product shot 45.5% (151-332) overall from the floor, 40.9% (47-115) from three, and 77.4% (113-146) from the free-throw line. All three of those marks were in the top-25 amongst GNAC competitors, while his three-point field goal percentage and free-throw percentage both ranked 11th. He led the league in free-throws attempted with 113.
The 5-10 floor general amassed the second most assists in the league with 116 against just 60 turnovers to post a 1.9 assist to turnover ratio, good for the ninth-best mark in the GNAC. He also finished third in the league in steals with 42.
Jackson Jr. was a three-time GNAC Rookie of the Week selection, tying him with teammate freshman Chris Childs (Bronx, N.Y.) as the only two players to earn that recognition three times this season. He logged 10 20-plus point games on the year including a pair of 30-plus efforts, scoring a career-high 34 on the road at Saint Joseph's College of Maine on January 12. He also posted two double-doubles over the 2018-19 campaign.
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