With the Nike EYBL circuit’s Peach Jam right around the corner, the Augusta-area’s buzz for the annual gathering of the nation’s elite high school hoopers is building.
That buzz always increases when local ballers are included in the mix.
Such will be the case when rising Westside junior point guard Dontrell Jackson will lace up and play for Jet Academy during the Peach Jam event that will take place July 13-20 at the Riverview Park Activities Center in North Augusta.
Jet Academy is an EYBL circuit team managed by former NBA great, Kenny “the Jet” Smith who’s 10-year NBA career included stints with the Sacramento Kings, Atlanta Hawks, Houston Rockets, Detroit Pistons and Denver Nuggets. Smith won back-to-back NBA championships during the 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons as the Rockets’ starting point guard.
Smith now gains his notoriety from being a co-host on the Emmy Award-winning Inside the NBA show with Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley and Ernie Johnson.
As for Jackson, he’s riding the wave of consecutive championships himself. Jackson’s first two seasons at Westside culminated with Class AA state titles. Westside’s 2023-24 state crown was the Patriots’ third straight.
The 6-foot-2 point guard is projected as the heir apparent to Westside’s PG1 spot vacated by the graduation of three-year starter Demarco Middleton. Jackson performed admirably during his sophomore season, averaging 7.6 points 3 rebounds and 3 assists per game for his sophomore campaign.
But a healthy offseason regimen of Westside team workouts and AAU ball has broadened Jackson’s game to the point where he’s turning aheads outside of Augusta — hence the reason why he earned the spot on Jet Academy.
“I actually was playing in a live period with Westside and it just so happened Jet Academy was watching my game against Milton,” Jackson said. “I played very well, and the director of the program reached out to me after telling me he was impressed with how I play, and asked if I was interested in making a move to play with them.”
When Jackson says he played well, he may be being a touch modest. Jackson poured in a game-high 35 points during that performance, showing a versatility in his game both on offense and defense that underscored his maturity as a basketball player from March until now.
Westside head coach Jerry Hunter isn’t at all surprised at how his young floor general is starting to make a name for himself. And whenever Hunter talks about Jackson’s game, he always leads with the intangibles.
“Dontrell’s mental toughness allows him to focus on the next important thing in the heat of the moment,” Hunter said.
It’ll be that steel-tough mentality Jackson will lean on to help him get through the jitters that are sure to come when he plays his first Peach Jam game.
“It’ll be my first year playing in the Peach Jam and playing in front of good college coaches, so yes I’ll be nervous,” Jackson said. “I’m nervous before every basketball game I play, honestly, so of course I’ll be nervous [in the Peach Jam]. But to overcome that is when I get my first basket. When that happens, then I’m ready to go.”
He’ll be extra motivated by the fact that his presence at the EYBL summer schedule’s finale showcase will strengthen Westside basketball’s profile as a legitimate Georgia state power. Former Westside players Khalon Hudson and Amauri Tillman competed in the Peach Jam two years ago when now-Los Angeles Laker Bronny James was competing in the event.
“It definitely means a lot to me being one of many to be able to play in the Peach Jam,” Jackson said. “You know, Khalon and AuMauri played here, so I definitely wanna put on a show for the city.”
The Milton game during the early-summer live period wasn’t the only performance where Jackson raised eyebrows. He’s a rugged guard who isn’t afraid of encountering some contact in order to penetrate the paint. He has a knack of finding the open man when double teamed, and his perimeter game showcases how much he’s worked to improve his mid and long range jumper.
Defensively, he disrupts passing lanes, gets in the face of the other team’s best ball handlers and uses his relentless energy to set the defensive tone for the rest of the team.
Local and national basketball scouts have taken note of his defensive prowess, offensive skill set and next-level court vision. All of it, Jackson says, is the product of pure, old fashioned offseason hard work.
“My summer has been going great,” Jackson said. “Just been in the gym with coach Hunter. He’s had me shooting more in my workouts because I love to attack the paint. And once defenses close the paint up and made me shoot, I was a little hesitant. But the work has helped me get better shooting the ball with confidence, so I think my game is gonna be hard to stop.”
Jackson sees the Peach Jam experience as a chance to add even more layers to his game while getting a chance to measure his game up against the nation’s elite.
“I think it would help me when I get to my junior year with knowing when to pass or shoot,” he said. “Definitely, playing off two because these kids from out of state are going to be taller than usual, and knowing when to go under or over a screen and most definitely switching on a screen.”
Don’t think for a moment that Hunter won’t be looking on with intrigue as Jackson seeks to take a step up next week. He’s counting on his point guard to not just learn new things through this experience, but also utilize the tools he’s already acquired to be successful despite the uptick in competition.
“As coaches, we have to model toughness in order to build mentalities in our players that promote confidence instead of arrogance,” Hunter said. “Your reputation is what people think of you. Your character is who you are. I have no doubt that Dontrell’s mentality reassures that the best for him is yet to come.”
