Roman Catholic Wing Sammy Jackson Talks Recruiting, Versatility

Philadelphia Roman Catholic guard Sammy Jackson possesses a rare offensive skill set for a player of his age and size. Already 6-foot-7, Jackson boasts the scoring and savvy of a much smaller guard but retains the ability to use his height to his advantage. Playing for a loaded Roman Catholic squad that made the state championship game last season, he averaged 14 points, five rebounds and four assists per game.

After finishing as runners-up to Father Judge in the title game, Jackson said he and his teammates are working to channel championship heartbreak into a desire to improve.

“We definitely use it as motivation, not just me but the whole team,” Jackson said. “Nobody wants to finish second, just being able to turn that sadness into motivation.”

A four-star recruit and composite top 100 recruit for the Class of 2026, Jackson said he wants to keep quiet about the schools he’s talking with right now. His offers include Villanova, Texas, Indiana, Auburn and Penn State — he’ll visit the Longhorns and Hoosiers in June — but he did add that he makes it clear he wants to play as some sort of guard at the next level.

“I feel like I’m building a good relationship with a lot of schools, not really singling it down to anything,” Jackson said. “The biggest thing for every school is I’m a guard, and they’re going to play me as a guard: point guard, shooting guard, but a guard in college. Not a power forward, not a 5, none of that.”

Even as a 6-foot-7 high school junior, Jackson already possesses strong handles for his size, giving him the kind of versatility that will help him stand out in an era of positionless basketball. 

Versatile Hooper

Jackson highlighted his offensive ability as one of his biggest strengths, and said that college teams want him to bulk up his 185 pound frame. He himself wants to work on his defense ahead of his senior season.

“Definitely my ball handling at my size isn’t as common, isn’t very common at all across people who play this game at my age. Me being able to play point guard or handle the ball for a team the whole game is very rare. I feel like my shooting ability is good too, being able to create off the dribble, catch and shoot, and get to the basket if it’s needed,” Jackson said.

“One of the things they’ve [college coaches] asked me to do is just getting bigger. I feel like I have the IQ and knowledge of the game to be able to succeed, just getting bigger, stronger at the next level where there’s a different level of physicality.”

In terms of basketball IQ, it helps that Jackson grew up around the game. His father Marc played at Temple and spent seven seasons in the NBA, including two with his hometown 76ers, with whom he currently works as a television analyst for NBC Sports Philadelphia; his brother, Shareef, will suit up for the Lafayette Leopards of the Patriot League next season.

Sammy Jackson said seeing his brother’s recruiting process helped him prepare for the whirlwind of landing on top prospect lists. 

“Being able to look at that, what he went through last year, and being able to not just go in there blind, to have a feel for it,” Jackson said. “So when coaches start calling me, scheduling visits and stuff, it’s nothing I haven’t seen before.”

Student of the Game

While Sammy Jackson remains adamant that he wants to play at guard in college, he described how he learns from Shareef, also 6-foot-7 but a power forward by trade, to flesh out his game.

“There are some times where I take somebody down to the post, if I have a smaller matchup on me, and Shareef, use tools from what I’ve seen from him, to be able to use that. When it comes to rebounding and guarding bigs, if I get switched on to a big guy, knowing what to do,” Jackson said. “I can play any position possible, or whatever’s needed, but just having extra tools and tips from other spots.”

Jackson said that playing on a Roman Catholic team loaded with talent helped him prepare for the college game. Unlike other recruits who might serve as a one man show, the Cahillites’ multitude of options helped him spread the ball around and serve as a team player.

“I feel like there’s a lot of high schools where they have one guy as their ‘man,’ or the one they say ‘this is our guy.’ I feel like at Roman we have three, maybe four. Last year we had four main scoring options that we could go through in a game, and I feel like that’s similar to college,” Jackson said. “Because you’re not going to go to college and see they’re running the ball through one guy. Even subs come in and there can’t be a dropoff, so I feel like playing on a good team with as many good players, it gets me ready.”

Click here for a look at other top 2026 basketball prospects in the Philadelphia area.