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ALPINE — Almost 20 years ago it was Chris Burgess. Jabari Parker came nearly two decades later. Now it's Frank Jackson's turn.
Will another Mormon high school basketball player, ranked among the best national prospects, spurn BYU in favor of an elite program? To a certain extent Burgess and Parker, both of whom were ranked in the top two or three of their respective classes, flirted with the Cougars before choosing to play at Duke.
Jackson might be going down the same path. Along with Duke, nearly every big-name basketball program is interested in the Lone Peak High senior guard, who actually made an oral commitment as a freshman to attend BYU.
The big difference between the other two players and Jackson is location. Burgess and Parker didn't grow up in the shadow of the Marriott Center, metaphorically speaking. Beyond religion and other minor details, neither had enough of a tie to BYU to offset the powerful attraction of Duke.
Jackson has a much stronger connection to BYU, the latest being coach Dave Rose hiring longtime Lone Peak coach Quincy Lewis in the offseason. The northern Utah County school has been a pipeline for BYU basketball, as several players have played for the Cougars. But none of them, however accomplished they were in high school, can match Jackson's credentials.
"If BYU loses Frank Jackson, I actually think that's a bigger deal than not getting Jabari Parker because he's right in BYU's backyard," said former BYU forward Jonathan Tavernari.
The problem is BYU can't hang with Duke on multiple levels. For starters, one wins national championships and the other dreams of making one Final Four. Most years Duke players dot the NBA lottery draft. In the last 10 years, BYU has had five players play in the NBA. Since 2005, 29 players from Duke have played in the NBA. And don't even bother comparing the Atlantic Coast Conference to the West Coast Conference.
I de-committed (from BYU) because I wanted to experience the whole recruiting process. I committed after my freshman year and I wanted to take visits and see what else was out there. I'm glad I did it this way; it opened my eyes to a lot.
–Frank Jackson
No wonder Jackson withdrew his commitment to BYU last year. From a basketball perspective, BYU is like most programs in that it can't compete with Duke.
"I've got so many great schools that are recruiting me and this is what I wanted," Jackson told USA Today. "I de-committed because I wanted to experience the whole recruiting process. I committed after my freshman year and I wanted to take visits and see what else was out there. I'm glad I did it this way; it opened my eyes to a lot."
The good news for BYU is the competition hasn't ended. Rose and his staff won't quit until it's absolutely over.
As he works through the process, Jackson might want to consider Roger Reid's sentiments. At the time Burgess chose Duke, Reid was BYU's coach and basically said he would have centered the offense around Burgess as opposed to being another one of many star recruits the Blue Devils annually sign. After two years, Burgess transferred to Utah.
There's also the issue of serving a church mission, which Jackson has indicated is a possibility. BYU athletes are going on missions in increasing numbers, but as football coach Bronco Mendenhall likes to point out, Mormons at other schools typically don't leave for two years.
"It's going to be a tough decision for sure," Jackson told USA Today this month. "At first I had decided to go ahead and do the mission, but in the last few weeks I started to think about it more and I'm not sure about that."
Either way, whatever Jackson decides, BYU basketball will survive, especially if the player follows the common route of jumping to the NBA after one season in college.
