Trailblazer big-man Shilo Jackson signs with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

VINCENNES, Ind. – Vincennes University sophomore center and 2022 All-Region 24 honoree Shilo Jackson (Indianapolis, Ind.) officially signed to continue his basketball career Thursday afternoon at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

"The leading factors in my decision to sign with Texas A&M-CC was that there is only one player returning at my position next season," Jackson said. "Along with all of the facilities and staff there, not to mention the location as well."

"I'm very happy for Shilo," VU Hall of Fame Head Coach Todd Franklin said. "I'm proud of Shilo. He has come a long way from when we got him two years ago. He was a guy that averaged about four points per game in high school. He was a year young and started coming into his own playing AAU ball in the summer."

"He's the type of story that we like," Franklin added. "He was a guy that we took that wasn't the highest rated guy in the world you were going to take. But we took him because we saw some traits that we liked and he had a lot of work to do to get to where is now. He did a great job for us while he was here and he was an integral part of us being an Elite Eight team and winning 30 games last season. I love him. I'm happy for him and hopefully things continue the way they have been for him because that arrow has been pointing up for him in a lot of ways. I thought Shilo matured a lot over the past year. He's a good guy and I'm happy for his success."

"He's come a long way both on the court and off the court," Franklin said. "For him to end up where he is, is exciting. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi has been to the NCAA Tournament the last two years and I think they have a good team coming back. So, I think it's a good deal for Shilo and I think he will be good for them."

"He went down and visited and he loved it," Franklin added. "Of course, their campus is right on the water. But he was pretty excited about it and they were excited about him. I think it's a good level for him and I think he will be good for them. Hopefully they continue to be a good team and have a chance to be in the NCAA Tournament again next year."

Jackson has served as VU's primary starting center the last two seasons and closed out his VU career with 641 total points, 547 rebounds and 107 blocks in his 66 games for the Blue and Gold.

Jackson was moved into a starting role as a freshman in 2021 after Dende Ceder (Almere, Netherlands) suffered a season-ending injury before the first game.

Jackson looked at home in his starting role, leading the Blazers by averaging a double-double of 12.5 points and 10 rebounds per game as a freshman and finishing the season with 15 double-doubles in 30 games.

Jackson's best scoring night at VU came when he scored 24 points in back-to-back games against Lake Land and Lewis & Clark. Jackson would also grab 13 rebounds against Lake Land and 11 against Lewis & Clark as part of a stretch of four-straight double-doubles he posted during the 2021-22 season.

Jackson returned to VU this past season and was able to help guide the Trailblazers to a 30-6 record and a spot in the NJCAA Division I National Quarterfinals in Hutchinson.

"It was a meaningful accomplishment to start on an Elite Eight basketball team," Jackson said. "It means even more to me after going through my freshman year."

"Through all of my experiences at Vincennes University, my favorite was when we beat Southern Idaho at the National Tournament," Jackson said. "The locker room had such an empowering feeling after that game."

"Shilo's had a unique trip through this because we have never had a season like we did his freshman year," Franklin said. "A lot of things went wrong that year. Dende got hurt. I feel really sad for Dende. He was another guy at that position that we thought was going to be a good player and I don't have any reason to believe he wouldn't have been, he just had those knees go out on him. That moved Shilo up immediately, ready for it or not, into being a starter."

"He fought all year and had a good freshman season," Franklin added. "He was an All-Region player and had to take on a lot. He was double and triple teamed because everybody knew that was where we had to go. He was about 10 to 15 pounds too light and he had never done anything like that, plus it's here and we're not having success like we always do. But we needed him to turn a corner and he did."

"He turned the corner and got serious about things while hanging through the tough times of that first year," Franklin said. "Stuck with me. I stuck with him and he changed across the board. This year he had a different role because the team around him was better. We were back to being a top 10 to 15 team all year and ended up finishing in the top five and he had a chance to do that, which I was really happy for him and he was a big part of that."

"Shilo is still evolving," Franklin added. "He has a lot of potential and a lot of ability. He's come a long way and he did his job. We couldn't have gotten to where we did last season without him. Really, our only losses last season were against the two teams playing for the National Championship and we were right there and Shilo was a big part of that. Whatever we do now going into next year, Shilo is going to be a part of that. He's really helped us come out of COVID and get this program back where it needs to be and we will forever love him. He's family to the core and I hope he feels the same way. We are really rooting for him hard. I think we were really good for him and he was good for us. There's no question about that. He has a place in the family forever."

Jackson will be joining an Islanders squad that finished last season with a 24-11 record, winning the Southland Conference regular season and tournament championships and earned a bid to the NCAA Division I tournament.

Jackson is the first Vincennes University men's basketball player to sign with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and the second member of last year's team to sign with a Division I team after Tasos Cook (Columbus, Ohio) signed with Campbell University earlier this month.

"Coach Franklin has helped me more than I could have imagined when it comes to basketball and getting to the next level," Jackson said. "Vincennes University has helped me to acquire the skills that I need to succeed in the classroom and in life."

The Vincennes University Athletic Department would like to congratulate Shilo Jackson on his signing with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and wishes him good luck as he continues his basketball career next season.