When Alabama point guard Ty Davis knocked over the first domino in Creighton’s 2024 recruiting class with his commitment back on June 26, he told everyone who would listen that he fancies himself a facilitator first and foremost. On Tuesday, he learned who would be the first recipient of those playmaking skills when Jackson McAndrew — a 6-foot-9 sharpshooter out of Minnesota — verbally committed to join Davis in Omaha next summer.
McAndrew, whose father Steve played for Greg McDermott when the long-time Creighton head coach was an assistant at North Dakota from 1989-1994, held offers from St. Thomas, Northern Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Creighton, Iowa, Xavier, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, Penn State, Stanford, and Illinois. He took official visits to Wisconsin last October, Creighton in February, and Xavier and Notre Dame in June before making his decision to become a Bluejay on the heels of an impressive showing in AAU ball over the summer.
After averaging 17 points and 8 rebounds per game in leading Wayzata High School to a Class 4A state championship during his junior season, McAndrew stood out for his Howard Pulley 17U team on the Nike EYBL circuit. Over the summer, he put up 16.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.0 blocks while shooting 53.4% from 2, 39.7% from 3, and 78.2% from the free throw line. He ramped up that production at Peach Jam 2023, finishing with 18.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, and a 36.7% shooting clip on 79 attempts from long range. Jackson is set to be just third player out of Minnesota to play for the Bluejays in more than 20 years, joining Ethan Wragge — who ranks second all-time in program history with 334 made 3’s — and fellow long-range bomber Isaiah Zierden.
McAndrew makes most of his headlines off of his ability to stretch the floor and splash 3-pointers from several feet behind the line, but there is a lot more to the skill set that has been put on display behind just letting it rip from deep. He is a solid ball-handler for someone his size and isn’t shy about putting the ball on the deck in traffic. He is good with his left hand despite being a right-handed shooter, and even seems to prefer driving to that direction when attacking closeouts and off-balanced defenders. He’s good about keeping his head up and playing under control as a driver, he can finish near the basket with either hand and over either shoulder. He has good awareness defensively as most of his blocked shots come from helping over when opponents attack the basket from the strong side and has a nose for the ball in the rebounding department, especially on the offensive glass.
247Sports, Rivals, On3, and ESPN all rate McAndrew as a 4-star prospect and all of them with the exception of ESPN have him ranked among their top 100 prospects for 2024.
