Congrats to BC's Reggie Jackson, selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the 24th overall pick of the 2011 NBA Draft. Jackson becomes the ninth Boston College Eagle to have been selected in the first round, joining Troy Bell (2003), Jared Dudley and Sean Williams (2007) in recent years.
Jackson averaged 18.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game during his junior season, leading a senior-laden BC squad to a 21-13 record and nearly sneaking into this year's NCAA Tournament in Coach Donahue's first season.
Oklahoma City General Manager Sam Presti had nice things to say about RJ.
"In Reggie Jackson, we feel like we have a player that brings great length and athleticism. With a team that won 55 games last season, the objective is to layer the organization with young, talented players when it comes to the draft."
It will be interesting to see how Jackson fits with the current OKC roster, especially with a crowded Thunder backcourt that already includes starters Russell Westbrook and Thabo Sefolosha as well as James Harden and Eric Maynor. Our SB Nation Thunder blog Welcome to Loud City thinks that there may be roster changes afoot with Jackson arrival in Oklahoma City:
"Roster-wise, it provides an interesting predicament. Jackson is a smaller guard, and stuck on the border between Point Guard and Shooting Guard. Obviously, Westbrook is not moving as the starting Point Guard, but there has been talk of Maynor falling by the wayside as a backup PG. While he is an excellent change of pace at times, in terms of talent he doesn't offer a whole lot other than good passing and the occasional steal or score. Jackson might be what the Thunder are looking for, in that he can play adequately at Point Guard while still being more of a solid scoring option than Eric Maynor....kind of like our very own Gary Neal."
Head on over to Welcome To Loud City to read up on reactions from the Thunder faithful. Congratulations Reggie. Have no doubt that you'll make us proud in OKC.