College Commitment: Jackson Gielish (2021 Pleasant Hill)

Normally a tough 6-foot-8 big man with a good head for the game isn’t going to fly under the radar. In 2020 that may have been the case for Jackson Gielish Jackson Gielish 6'8" | PF Pleasant Hill | 2021 State OR from Pleasant Hill, but he isn’t overly concerned as his college future is set. The senior recently signed with Bushnell to play his college basketball and from all aspects, it’s the perfect fit for him both on and off the court.

"I see myself fitting into the culture of Bushnell really well because I am a Christian and I really like the principles and the morals that they have," Geilish said. "I also visited the college and I really enjoy being around the coaches. The one aspect I really like about the school is the coaches are trying to build a family mentality with the team and I have never been apart of a team that feels like a family. And I know that the teams that have the best chemistry together usually go the farthest."

Gielish also noted that the proximity to home was definitely a factor in his decision. He’s been familiar with the program for quite some time - and the coaches with him as well as he’s attended camps at Bushnell/NCU from youth to ID camps. The coaches continued to monitor his progress this off-season as he played some travel AAU basketball with Elite 24.

"I played very really well for myself, taking into consideration I have only seen my teammates once or twice," Gielish said. "That is also the first time I have played with that high of competition. I was a little shaky at first but once I got comfortable with the speed of the game I had a lot of improvement from my junior season to my off season games. I began being more confident in taking the ball up the court as well as playing on the perimeter."

A hard-working big man, Gielish should contribute immediately with his ability to rebound and stretch the floor with his shot. He’s always looking at adding to his repertoire.

"For right now, I feel like I can improve on my vertical," Gielish said. "I have never been able to jump very well and I was getting to a place where I could jump and then I had injuries on both knees. And then I want to improve on my overall strength. And also my ball handling under pressure, rebounding and having faster feet."

The plan is he’ll get a chance to work on these things his senior season, one in which he is very much hopeful will happen and is looking forward to.

"I think the team has a lot of potential," Gielish said. "We have a lot of skill all across the board. If we learn how to work as a team, share the ball and communicate on the floor I think that we will do very well this year."

Gielish is not currently ranked in the PrepHoops Oregon Class of 2021 rankings but will be added in the next update.