The University of Memphis men's basketball team may have fallen short of the Final Four, but that won't stop senior guard Joe Jackson from playing in AT&T Stadium this weekend.
Jackson is one of the 21 seniors selected to play in the Reese's Division I College All-Star Game. The Memphis product will play for the West team coached by Johnny Dawkins of Stanford University, and Shawn Jones of Middle Tennessee State University and former conference-mate Neil Watson of the University of Southern Mississippi will join him.
Memphis head coach Josh Pastner has never been shy about lavishing praise on Jackson, who was Pastner's first big-name recruit.
"Joe has won me a lot of games," Pastner said after the Tigers beat SMU in their final home game of the year. "I'm just so proud of those guys. They've meant so much to the program, especially Chris (Crawford) and Joe (Jackson). Those guys have kept the program at such a high level and took a chance on us when it wasn't cool and there were a lot of unknowns."
Mark Turgeon of the University of Maryland will coach the East team and notable players include Markel Starks of Georgetown University and Will Sheehey of Indiana University.
Jackson started 34 games for the Tigers during the 2013-14 season. He averaged a team-high 33.2 minutes, 14.1 points, 4.5 assists and 1.5 steals while adding 3.6 rebounds and shooting 44 percent from the field. Jackson's season earned him a spot on the American Athletic Conference All-Conference second team.
For his career, Jackson is seventh on the Tigers' all-time scoring list with 1,687 points and fourth in assists with 567.
The Reese's All-Star Game will be the first of many steps for Jackson as he attempts to earn a spot in the NBA. Most draft experts don't have Jackson getting drafted, but some good showings in pro workouts could land the Memphis native on a professional roster.
On the season, Memphis was able to compile a 24-10 record and a 12-6 mark in the American. The Tigers were able to take down five teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll, including a sweep of the Louisville Cardinals.
Memphis received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, earning the eight-seed in the East region. The Tigers won their opening round matchup with George Washington University before being stomped by one-seeded University of Virginia 78-60 in the round of 32.
The Reese's Division I College All-Star Game will be played Friday at 4:30 p.m. CBS plans to air the game on tape-delay at 11 a.m. Saturday.
