Reggie Jackson to stay in NBA Draft
By Joe Micik
The May 8th deadline for 2011 NBA Draft prospects to firmly commit one way or another will pass tomorrow, but former BC Eagles star Reggie Jackson did not wait that long to make an announcement. The school confirmed tonight that Jackson will be remaining in the NBA Draft pool for June 23 and, obviously, not coming back to Boston College for his senior season. We wish him all of the best.
In a statement for BCEagles.com, Reggie said the following:
"I just want to thank BC, the coaching staff and administration for all their help and support throughout my three years here, but I have decided to stay in the draft and forego my senior season. The NBA has always been a dream of mine and it is one I wish to pursue. I am truly blessed to have attended and played for such a prestigious university. I would like to say thank you to all the BC fans for all the support and, though I have decided to leave school early, I will always be a BC Eagle."
I know there is a lot of disappointment out there in my readership today, and with good reason. It’s hard to say, however, that I didn’t see this coming. Indeed, I think most of you knew that once he made his announcement to enter the draft, chances were slim that he’d return, and they possibly got even slimmer with the departure of junior role-player (but likely starter by default in 2011) Dallas Elmore.
Chances are that he’ll get drafted, he’ll start his career as a professional (which we can all hope is a long and prosperous one), and he’ll make his money. I can’t say I necessarily blame him for wanting to cash in, even if there are those who believe he’s not 100% ready for the next level. Reggie put in three solid years of service to Boston College basketball, and while we all would have liked to see him come back, he wasn’t obligated to give us that fourth year. He’s doing what he thinks is the best for his future, and given the chance, we might make the same choice.
I believe the view Eagles basketball fans should be taking is something along the lines of “hope for the best, expect the worst.” Part of that is because I don’t think we should be putting high expectations on a very young team, and to that end, I wouldn’t want to see our fans get too disappointed if our ’11-12 team takes its knocks. I’ve read the comments I’ve gotten on my articles and Twitter, and ones elsewhere, and I like a bunch of the players we have coming into this program. I just prefer to take a more tempered and realistic view of next season, in that it will be a rebuilding year. It was probably going to be one with him, but without him, there is no doubt at all.
What we are going to miss from Reggie, however, aside from the on-court production, are the intangibles. Having that star player at the head of the program would have brought a certain level of stability and allowed for a “passing of the torch,” if you will, to the younger generation of guys like Ryan Anderson and all the rest. Our new guys could have learned a lot from Reggie Jackson, but now, they won’t get the chance to see him lead by example. Furthermore, in keeping with the theme of program stability, having a guy like Reggie come back might have helped in selling the school to potential recruits.
We won’t get those things now, though. What BC will experience will be, as noted previously, a total reboot of the program. Coach Steve Donahue will have a roster next year from which he can start over and build up the way he wants. As I’ve said on a number of occasions, next season will be likely one of those where we just have to suck it up and deal with the losses that are coming, but I hope that we will see some sure signs that yes, there is life for BC basketball after Reggie Jackson. We’ve gotten over losing some great players in the past; we will do it again.