We Got Next: Carter & Jackson of Northwood Temple’s 2020 Class
The Northwood Temple Eagles basketball program has gone through quite a few changes over the past year and some change. Due to the resignation of their coach and unsureness of who the administration would be bringing in as well as other factors the team lost two of their star players to transfer. Eventually they would hire a new coach in Coach Corey Baker who coached Team Loaded the year prior and is well known not only for his coaching but also for his high school playing days at Oak Hill. The team then would welcome in quite a few transfers including ODU signee Michael Hueitt Jr. who had played for Baker as freshman and sophomore at Village Christian. Many of the additions were highly publicized but there were two players who didn’t get as much ink as they enrolled at Northwood Temple and those young men are class of 2020 Guard Jamael Carter and Forward Travon Jackson. They both started the season with very limited playing time and as the year went on their roles increased greatly, they continue to get better each time we see them play and have very nice potential.
What makes them special?
Point Guard Jamael Carter: This young man makes his impact from the PG spot, he has a nice IQ for the game and is a very unselfish player. He makes sure that all his teammates get their touches first but can also score the ball well, he can shoot the trey ball pretty efficiently and makes good decisions when attacking the paint. Most importantly he’s a very coachable player, being the son of a coach, you can tell he understands how to take criticism and embrace it properly. You always want your PG to be a type of player that don’t respond to emotionally to things throughout the game and you won’t see too much of that from this youngster.
Forward Travon Jackson: Travon is a player that as soon as you watch him play you can see why anyone would want him on their team. At 6’4 he not only is an athletic player but brings the constant energy and motor to the team that you need. He’s has a lean build like a football player and brings that type of attitude to the floor when he plays inside against much taller opponents. He uses his strength and athleticism to battle for rebounds and to finish over the top of opponents, the next step in his development will be to add some more wing skills to his game but there is no doubt in our mind that he will put in the work and develop into a special player.