Ray Jackson (basketball)

Last updated
Ray Jackson
Ray Jackson Michigan 1993.jpg
Jackson in 1993 with the Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team.
Personal information
Born (1973-11-13) November 13, 1973 (age 50)
San Antonio, Texas
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school Lyndon B. Johnson
(Austin, Texas)
College Michigan (1991–1995)
NBA draft 1995: undrafted
Playing career1995–2001
Position Shooting guard / small forward
Career history
1995–1997 Grand Rapids Mackers
1997–1998 SIG Strasbourg
1998–1999Grand Rapids Hoops
1999–2000 Obras Sanitarias
2000–2001Grand Rapids Hoops
2001 Cocodrilos de Caracas
Career highlights and awards

Ray Jackson (born November 13, 1973) [1] is an American former professional basketball player. He is most well known for his time as a member of the Fab Five with the Michigan Wolverines.

Contents

College career

Jackson was part of the famed University of Michigan Wolverines Fab Five along with former NBA players Chris Webber, Jimmy King, Jalen Rose, and Juwan Howard that reached the 1992 & 1993 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship games as both Freshmen and Sophomores.

Although the Fab Five final four appearances have been forfeited, [2] he was not among the players called before the grand jury (Robert Traylor, Webber, Rose, Maurice Taylor and Louis Bullock) [3] in the University of Michigan basketball scandal and was not found to have received large amounts of money. [4]

Jackson and King were the only two members of the Fab Five to stay at Michigan for their full four years of eligibility; Webber left after his sophomore year and Rose and Howard after their junior years. Jackson's best season at Michigan came in his senior year, as he averaged a team-high of nearly 16 points per game.

Professional career

Known for his time as one member of the Fab Five, Jackson was not drafted by an NBA team and never played in the league. He was cut in preseason by the New York Knicks before the 1995–96 season and cut by the Detroit Pistons before the 1996–97 season. He was drafted in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) by the Grand Rapids Hoops #35 in the 3rd round in 1995.

While with the Hoops, he won the 1995–96 CBA Rookie of the Year Award.

He then played in France with Pro A team SIG Basket, in Argentina in the Liga Nacional de Básquet with Obras Sanitarias [5] (where he averaged 16 points per game) and Venezuela with Cocodrilos de Caracas.

In a February 10, 2007 article on Yahoo Sports, Jackson says that: "It took me a long time to get over the fact that I was the only one that didn't make it to the NBA from the Fab Five, but I'm over it because I'm back home and I'm happy with what I'm doing with my life."

Post-basketball career

Jackson lives in Austin, Texas, where he runs a moving company and Rise Up, a not-for-profit organization that assists children socially, educationally and on the basketball court.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juwan Howard</span> American basketball player and coach (born 1973)

Juwan Antonio Howard is an American former professional basketball player and current head coach of the Michigan Wolverines men's team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jalen Rose</span> American basketball player (born 1973)

Jalen Anthony Rose is an American sports analyst and former professional basketball player. In college, he was a member of the University of Michigan Wolverines' "Fab Five" that reached the 1992 and 1993 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship games as both freshmen and sophomores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maceo Baston</span> American basketball player (born 1976)

Maceo Demond Baston is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball at the University of Michigan. At a playing height of 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m), and a playing weight of 230 pounds (104 kg), he played at the power forward position.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy King</span> American basketball player

Jimmy Hal King is an American former professional basketball player. King played in the NBA and other leagues. He is most famous for his time spent on the famed University of Michigan Wolverines Fab Five along with Ray Jackson, Juwan Howard, Chris Webber, and Jalen Rose, who reached the 1992 and 1993 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship games as freshmen and sophomores. He played all four years at Michigan and averaged 15 points per game as a senior in 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roy Tarpley</span> American basketball player (1964–2015)

Roy James Tarpley was an American professional basketball player. He played the power forward and center positions in the National Basketball Association (NBA), earning an NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award in 1988. In 1995, Tarpley was permanently banned by the NBA due to his drug and alcohol abuse. He played in Europe for Olympiacos, Aris, and Iraklis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michigan Wolverines men's basketball</span> NCAA Division I Basketball Program

The Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing the University of Michigan. The school competes in the Big Ten Conference in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The Wolverines play home basketball games at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan has won one NCAA Championship as well as two National Invitation Tournaments (NIT), 15 Big Ten Conference titles and two Big Ten tournament titles. In addition, it has won an NIT title and won a Big Ten tournament that were vacated due to NCAA sanctions. The team is coached by Michigan alum Juwan Howard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fab Five (University of Michigan)</span> Mens basketball team of the University of Michigan

The Fab Five was the 1991 University of Michigan men's basketball team recruiting class that many consider one of the greatest recruiting classes of all time. The class consisted of Detroit natives Chris Webber (#4) and Jalen Rose (#5), Chicago native Juwan Howard (#25), and two recruits from Texas: Plano's Jimmy King (#24) and Austin's Ray Jackson (#21). The Fab Five were the first team in NCAA history to compete in the championship game with all-freshman starters.

Willie Dion Mitchell III is an American former professional basketball player. In high school, he was the 1994 Mr. Basketball of Michigan. He attended the University of Michigan and the University of Alabama at Birmingham before becoming a professional. He has had multiple stints in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and various foreign basketball leagues. He was a passenger in the rollover accident whose investigation led to the University of Michigan basketball scandal.

Albert White is an American former professional basketball player. White played in a variety of domestic and foreign basketball leagues. In high school, he was one of the most highly decorated basketball players in the United States. In college, he achieved success after transferring from University of Michigan to University of Missouri, but his success did not lead him to the National Basketball Association. Instead, he went to the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and has since played in various developmental and foreign basketball leagues as a professional.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1991–92 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 1991–92 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team represented the University of Michigan in intercollegiate college basketball during the 1991–92 season. The team played its home games in the Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and was a member of the Big Ten Conference. Under the direction of head coach Steve Fisher, the team finished tied for third in the Big Ten Conference. The team earned an invitation to the 1992 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament where it was national runner up. Although the team compiled a 25–9 record during the season, the National Collegiate Athletic Association has adjusted the team's record to 24–8 due to the University of Michigan basketball scandal. The team was ranked for the entire eighteen weeks of Associated Press Top Twenty-Five Poll, starting the season ranked twentieth, rising as high as number eleven and ending ranked fifteenth, and it ended the season ranked seventeenth in the final USA Today/CNN Poll. The team had a 6–6 record against ranked opponents, including the following victories: January 9, 1992, against the number sixteen ranked Iowa Hawkeyes 80–77 (overtime) at Carver–Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa, January 29 against the number thirteen ranked Michigan State Spartans 89–79 (overtime) at the Breslin Student Events Center in East Lansing, Michigan, March 8 against the number two ranked Indiana Hoosiers 68–60 at Crisler Arena, March 27 the number eleven ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys 75–72 in the 1992 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament at Rupp Arena, March 29 the number three ranked Ohio State Buckeyes 75–71 at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky, and April 4 against the number twelve ranked Cincinnati Bearcats 76–72 at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis.

LaVell DeAaron Blanchard is an expatriate American professional basketball player who most recently played for the 9 de Julio de Río Tercero of the Liga Nacional de Básquet. He has previously played in several leagues in Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Ukraine. He was a four-time All-Big Ten Conference performer and 2000 Big Ten Freshman of the Year for the Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team. He is known for having been the fifth player to ever lead a National Collegiate Athletic Association team in both scoring and rebounding four times. He earned the Gatorade Player of the Year while playing for Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the home of the University of Michigan.

Marcus James Kennedy is an American former professional basketball player. He was a second round NBA draft pick and played professionally in several countries.

James "Boo" Jackson is an American retired basketball player.

Kirk King is a retired professional basketball player. He played for the Connecticut Huskies from 1993 to 1997 before being suspended during his senior season for violating National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rules. In 1997, he was drafted into the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), the now-defunct developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). While never reaching the NBA, King played professionally for several years in the CBA, the United States Basketball League, the International Basketball League, the Philippines, Greece, Puerto Rico and Venezuela.

Travis Sentel Garrison is an American former professional basketball player.

Jonathan David Garavaglia is an American former professional basketball player. A strong player who could be used both as a power forward and a center, he was one of the top ranked recruits of the high school class of 1993. After a 4-year college career at Michigan State, he went undrafted in the 1997 NBA draft and played professionally for 7 years, mostly in Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Byron Wilson</span> American basketball player

Byron Neal Wilson is an American former professional basketball player who also holds Argentinian nationality. A 6-foot-3 guard, he played college basketball at Utah for 3 years, sitting out his freshman year due to Proposition 48. He was selected by the Phoenix Suns in the second round of the 1993 NBA draft, but he was cut before the beginning of the 1993–94 NBA season and started his professional career in the CBA. He then moved to Argentina and he began a long career there, playing 570 games in the Liga Nacional de Básquet, scoring 11,149 points, and winning 4 national championships, 3 Finals MVP titles, and one Liga Sudamericana title. He retired in 2010 after a 17-year professional career.

Mark Buford is an American former professional basketball player. He played for the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils for three seasons. Buford was selected by the Phoenix Suns as the 49th overall pick in the 1993 NBA draft but did not sign with the team. He was signed by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1994 but was waived before the start of the season. Buford played professionally in Italy and Argentina as well as in the American Continental Basketball Association and United States Basketball League.

Lucius Cecil Davis is an American former professional basketball player who played the forward position. He played for the Isuzu GigaCats in Japan, and for Maccabi Rishon LeZion in the Israeli Basketball Premier League. He was the top scorer in the 2004 Israel Basketball Premier League.

Randolph Owens was an American basketball player. He played the center and forward positions. He was drafted in the 1980 NBA draft in Round 6 by the Indiana Pacers. He played in the Continental Basketball Association for three years, in the Israel Basketball Premier League for five years, and in a number of other countries.

References

  1. U.S. Public Records Index Vol 1 (Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.), 2010.
  2. 2007-08 Men's Basketball Media Guide. University of Michigan. 2007. p. 8.
  3. Larcom, Geoff (October 19, 2000). "Former U-M assistant testifies in Martin case: Also, prosecutors issue two indictments of Martin's associates". Ann Arbor News . Michigan Live LLC. Archived from the original on January 10, 2003.
  4. "Text of the indictment". Ann Arbor News . Michigan Live LLC. March 22, 2002. Archived from the original on February 24, 2003.
  5. "Liga Nacional de Básquetbol Guía Oficial 2015/2016" (PDF) (in Spanish). p. 205.