It didn’t take long for Mississippi to feel like home for Rickea Jackson.
The first time the 6-foot-2 forward from Detroit Edison Public School Academy visited the state of Mississippi was Sept. 28 on an official visit. At the time, Jackson, the No. 9 recruit in the Class of 2019 according to espnW HoopGurlz, still had plenty of suitors for her talents, including coach Vic Schaefer’s Mississippi State Bulldogs.
By the time Jackson returned to Mississippi for her second visit on Nov. 4, she had a feeling it wasn’t going to be her final trip to the Magnolia State.
“My first impressions on Mississippi was an old-country feeling,” Jackson said in an email. “I have a little knowledge about the South because my dad is from there, so he always told me stories and showed me pictures.”
On Friday, Jackson was the one delivering images that would last a lifetime. One of the final ones was Schaefer bear-hugging Jackson at the tail end of a 1-minute, 20-second video in which she announced she was going to play basketball at MSU.
“The biggest factors for choosing Mississippi State was a home feeling, great players and coaches, and people who I know will push me,” Jackson said in an email in which she answered multiple questions about her decision to pick MSU over South Carolina.
Jackson said she had fun making the commitment video. She said the joy and the comfort level she had with the Bulldogs’ players and coaches came through in it.
“The choice was very difficult, especially with trying to choose between two of the best programs in the country,” Jackson said. “I never have been the type to be afraid of going far (away from home).
“Although I will definitely miss my family, the thought of going far actually excites me. The coaches will help me become a better player by pushing me every day.”
Jackson was the Gatorade Player of the Year from the state of Michigan in 2018. She also was named the Detroit Free Press’ Girls Basketball Player of the Year and the Female Athlete of the Year at the 2018 Free Press’ Sports Awards.
Jackson averaged 21.9 points, 10.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.3 steals, and 1.6 blocked shots per game to lead Detroit Edison Public School Academy to a 24-1 record last season. Detroit Edison beat Ypsilanti Arbor Prep 51-34 to win the Class C title.
Jackson is believed to be the highest-ranked signee in MSU women’s basketball history. Former MSU standout Victoria Vivians, who led the program to back-to-back national title game appearances before graduating in 2018, was a five-star prospect who was rated No. 24 in the nation (No. 7 guard) by espnW HoopGurlz. Bret McCormick, of All-Star Girls Report, a national recruiting service, said he remembers former MSU great LaToya Thomas being a top-five recruit coming out of Greenville High School.
Jackson’s decision ended a week’s worth of good news for No. 6 MSU, which Wednesday — the first day of the early signing period — announced the signing of Jayla Hemingway, a 5-9 guard from Houston High School in Germantown, Tennessee, who is ranked No. 88; JaMya Mingo-Young, a 5-7 point guard from Louisiana’s Loranger who is ranked No. 98 in the Class of 2019; Esmery Martinez, a 6-foot forward at Hamilton Heights Christian (Chattanooga, Tennessee); and Aliyah Matharu, a 5-7 point guard at Bishop McNamara (Forestville, Maryland). Hemingway and Mingo-Young are four-star recruits, while Martinez and Matharu are three-star prospects.
“This class is special!” MSU coach Vic Schaefer said in a statement released by MSU on Friday afternoon. “Not only is it highly ranked and will allow us to continue to compete for championships, but these student-athletes will impact our university, our community, and our state in many different ways.
“I want to thank my staff — Johnnie (Harris), Dionnah (Jackson-Durrett), and Elena (Lovato) for their tireless efforts in securing yet another top-10 recruiting class. We appreciate so much the trust and confidence given to us by the families of these student-athletes.”
Earlier this week, Jackson and Hemingway were two of 50 players named to the watch list for the Naismith High School Player of the Year.
The Atlanta Tipoff Club will announce the player of the year and All-America teams in March.
On Thursday, MSU was No. 19 in espnW HoopGurlz’s ranking of the top-20 recruiting classes, according to Dan Olson, of Collegiate Girls Basketball Report.
The addition of Jackson most likely will catapult the Bulldogs up the rankings.
McCormick said Jackson’s decision to attend MSU elevates Schaefer’s recruiting class from No. 11 to a top-five class. He said ASGR has Jackson ranked No. 5 in the Class of 2019 and with a grade of 97, which is a determination of how she projects as a professional.
“She is probably more of a four than she is a three right now, but she is a great athlete,” said McCormick, who also is a former college coach. “Vic liked her because of her energy and she is a great rebounder. She is great in the open floor, and her 3-point shot has improved a lot. She is going to be a pro. There is no doubt about it.”
McCormick said ASGR also has the other four signees in the class — Martinez (No. 25), Hemingway (No. 41), Matharu (No. 67), and Mingo-Young (No. 72) ranked in the top 100.
In May, Jackson was named one of 18 finalists for the USA Basketball Women’s Under-17 National Team. Olson, a former college basketball coach and a longtime evaluator, described Jackson as an “athletic, versatile perimeter prospect who drains jumpers to the arc. She cleans the glass and attacks coast to coast in the transition game. She manufactures shots, rises on her jumper in the mid-range game with body control to rim, and is a shot-maker who yields results. She is a coveted prospect in the Class of 2019.”
Jackson reportedly had narrowed her college choices to MSU, South Carolina, and Rutgers before eliminating Rutgers earlier this week.
This marks the second-straight season MSU has landed a recruiting class with at least three players in the espnW HoopGurlz Top 100. Last year, MSU signed Daphane White (No. 45), Jessika Carter (No. 46), and Xaria Wiggins (No. 54). Carter has since transferred from MSU.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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