Transfer rumors about Detroit Consortium's Josh Jackson, nation's top prospect, don't keep coach up at night

DETROIT, MI -- One of the top college basketball prospects in the country for the 2016 class hails from Detroit and is already the subject of transfer rumors.

But Detroit Consortium's Josh Jackson, a 6-foot-8 sophomore, hasn't addressed publicly speculation he could leave for another school - in-state or out-of-state - and the rumors don't appear to keep his coach up at night.

"As long as we have the pleasure of having him at Consortium, we’re going to compete with him," first-year Consortium coach Tobias Tuomi told MLive.com. "Worried about it? Yeah, but you know, I can't be with him 24 hours.

"All I know is that he likes this program and he likes his teammates."

Jackson, rated the No. 1 recruit for 2016 by Rivals.com, is a highly touted prospect for Division I coaches because of his ability to play multiple positions and thrive under pressure with on-court smarts. ESPN.com ranks him No. 2 nationwide in its ESPN 25. 

Jackson hasn't spoken to be media this season because of a "team decision" and doesn't believe he deserves the kind of attention that could potentially outshine his team's accomplishments, Tuomi said.

Tuomi told an MLive reporter on Sunday to submit to him via e-mail questions for Jackson, but Jackson hasn't given the reporter a response this week to any of the 10 submitted to the coach that day.

Tuomi's response when asked if he thought Jackson would return to Consortium for his junior year: "I wouldn't assume anything else."

Regardless, the rumors about Jackson are hard to avoid as Detroit Consortium (20-2) prepares to play Ottawa Lake Whiteford (19-4) in Wednesday's Class C Regional Final at Clinton High School.

Just minutes into Detroit Consortium's regional semifinal game Monday against Detroit Allen Academy at Clinton, a fan who drove in from Ecorse told an MLive reporter he keeps hearing Jackson could leave for another prep school.

No matter what's being said about Jackson's future, he appears on the court totally focussed on winning a state title.

Jackson had a team-high 16 points (10-of-12 from the free throw line) in the 64-48 win over Allen Academy.

Allen Academy tried to use a box-and-one and physical play to try and stop Jackson, but it merely slowed him down through three quarters before he eventually took over.

"He's a turned into a terrific winner, a competitor, a winner," Tuomi said. "He's special."

Most recruiting services like Rivals.com and Scout.com list Jackson at 6-foot-6, 185 pounds. But the school's roster lists him at 6-foot-8 and 205.

No matter what Jackson's actual size and weight are, he clearly isn't the average tall guy on the floor.

Tuomi turned Jackson loose in the open court against the Allen Academy pressure as his team's primary ball handler and he thrived with a couple steals, a breakaway dunk and some late trips to the line.

"He’s capable of doing so many things, more so than anybody else and even more so than sometimes you want him to," Tuomi said of Jackson. "It’s an old school saying, but you just got to let him play.

"He’s a terrific player and does things in games that you see happening that make you say 'Oh, that’s a good idea, maybe we should do that more often.'"

As March tournament action heats up, Tuomi is not only paying extra attention to Jackson's play, but also the potential distractions that come this time of year for a high profile player.

Tuomi knows he can't control everything, but does his best to make sure the program does its part to be an advocate of Jackson's best interests.

"We make sure that people who are coming into our school, coming into our gym, and are around our program are there for the right reasons and that they are there for everybody," Tuomi said. "We don’t have anybody at this school or on this staff that is just here for Josh.

"It’s about everybody. We try to control that for everybody."

The coach is getting help from other players, too.

Consortium's Rudy Smith, a senior guard, said the key as a teammate of Jackson's is to try and alleviate pressure off him since he's such a target on the court.

Consortium's roster, including Smith and Jackson, has four seniors, three juniors, five sophomores and two freshmen. The Cougars have won 16 of their last 17 games.

"We just tell him to keep his head and play his game," Smith said. "We tell him to not try and do too much; play as a team instead of a one-on-one game."

It's unclear which colleges Jackson is considering and how many have already offered him scholarships.

A relative of Jackson's told MLive.com the family "isn't talking to anyone" at the moment.

Rivals.com, however, claims Jackson already has scholarship offers from Ohio State, Florida State, Kansas, Louisville, Memphis, Oregon and Texas A&M.

The recruiting service mentions "medium" interest from Michigan and Michigan State.

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