Lights ink star shooting guard

Montana State University-Northern men's basketball coach Shawn Huse has announced a second member of his 2019 recruiting class.

Huse recently announced the signing of 6-0 shooting guard Gio Jackson. He comes to Northern having previously played at Everett Community College and Shawnee State in Ohio.

Jackson, originally from Federal Way, Washington, was named the NWAC Baden Player of the Year and Northern Region MVP in 2017-2018 while at Everett. Jackson also led the Trojans to 26 wins last season, the most in school history. He led the NWAC in assists at 6.4 per game and averaged 18 points per game. He shot 52 percent from the field, 39 percent from the three-point line, 82 percent from the free-throw line, and grabbed 9.4 rebounds per game. He also led Everett in steals at 1.5 per game. He battled an injury until late this year at Shawnee State University and was unable to play much of the early portion of this season.

Jackson was a leader both on and off the floor at Everett, helping new players adjust to the college life. He worked in student LIFE as the Trojan Nation Coordinator. He will study business marketing at MSU-Northern.

“Gio is a team-first guy with game-changing ability. With his length, ability, athleticism, and smarts, he has a unique talent to be able to give whatever is needed to help a team win” Huse said. “He comes to us understanding the scoring ability and skill of our returners, and is excited to enhance their games and everything we do. He, along with our returners and David (Harris; recent signee), will really complement each other on both ends of the floor and in transition. Gio is a tough competitor with a high character level and is a great locker room guy. We are extremely excited he finally chose MSU-Northern. We were very close to this happening a year ago, but I am a firm believer that everything works out for a reason. I believe late is better than never regarding Gio and his new teammates.”