CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cedric Jackson, who earned Horizon League Defensive Year Player of the Year honors last season, has signed a 10-day contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers and should be in uniform when the Cavs host Oklahoma City on Saturday night.
Jackson, who was tabbed as the MVP of the Horizon League Championship after leading Cleveland State to its first team title ever, was designated to the Erie BayHawks of the NBA Development League this year. After a slow start, he has played in 23 games (14 starts), averaging 14.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 7.6 assists per game, ranking third in the League in assists per game.
Jackson has been even better of late, averaging 27.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 9.3 assists per game.
"I am tremendously happy for Cedric and proud of him for what he has accomplished," CSU Head Coach Gary Waters said. "At the start of the summer when he began to pursue his dream of playing in the NBA, there weren't a lot of people who thought he had any chance of achieving it.
"But like he did when he came to Cleveland State, Cedric worked hard and let his play on the court do the talking. He practiced all summer with the Cavs and by September, he had impressed the management enough to get placed by them with Erie in the NBDL. Once he got that opportunity, I knew that it would only be a matter of time."
A 6-3, 190-pound guard from Columbus, N.J., Jackson joined the Vikings prior to the 2006-07 season after playing two seasons at St. John's.
After sitting out the 2006-07 campaign to meet NCAA transfer rules, Jackson immediately made himself known, averaging 20.8 points to lead the Vikings to a second-place finish at the Glenn Wilkes Classic in Daytona Beach, Fla.
Jackson started all 34 games, averaging 13.9 points to lead the Vikings to a 21-13 record, a second place finish in both the Horizon League regular season and tournament and a berth in the NIT. He led the league in both steals (2.61) and assists (4.9).
He was even better as a senior, averaging 10.9 points, leading all guards in the League with a 5.8 average and leading the loop in both assists (5.4) and steals (3.0). He was a repeat member of the All-Horizon League second team but saved his best for last, guiding the Vikings to four straight wins to claim the Horizon League Championship and the school's second NCAA berth ever.
In the NCAA tourney, Jackson dominated from the beginning, making a pair of three-pointers as part of a 12-0 CSU run to open the game as the Vikings plastered fourth-seeded Wake Forest, a team that earlier in the year had been ranked No. 1 in the country.
Jackson played 38 minutes against the Demon Deacons, scoring 19 points, grabbing eight rebounds and handing out nine assists with three steals.
The Cavaliers were forced to look for options at point guard when starter Moe Williams (shoulder) and reserve Delonte West (finger) each went down with injuries this week that should keep them out of the lineup for an extended period.
Release courtesy of Cleveland State SID Brian McCann
Tags: Cleveland State - Men's Basketball
