A true perimeter weapon who must always be accounted for. Welch is a shot hunter in the half-court and in transition. Especially as he loves sprints to the corners in transition, where if the defense doesn’t track him, his shot might as well be automatic.

Three point shooting anchored his day, and in the first half he was a huge reason why the visiting Longhorns surged ahead. But if the senior had finished better at the rim, it would’ve turned a good day into a great day. Late in the game he did show that he is capable of finishing his drives at the rim, with a good finish after a closeout ran him off the line.  Shooting and size, it’s a great combo and frankly it’s surprising there isn’t more interest in Welch from regional small colleges.

Welch is another pure shooter, especially from spot up scenarios. He combines that floor spacing ability with next level size, grit and the versatility to battle around the rim and also help out on the perimeter. Especially as the senior has started to look more fluid and comfortable shooting off the dribble. Inola came up two games short of State with an Area loss, expect the Longhorns to have a chance to rectify that this year as a contender to be in OKC come March.

Welch’s combination of size and shooting ability makes him a college ready prospect as a wing/hybrid type forward.  His outstanding wingspan and country type grit gives him some ability to mix it up downlow, while having one of the quickest releases in the state supports his ability to stretch the floor. More than just a catch and shoot specialist, the Inola Longhorn looked fluid and confident when quickly getting his shot up while off the dribble. He already has a couple regional small college offers, Welch should be a no brainer for any program looking to floor spacing and versatile size.

The small town sharpshooter was a flamethrower as a junior for Inola and that was continuing during this grassroots and camp season. But a recent hand injury has brought a temporarily derailment to his positive momentum. When Welch does return to the floor, he’ll bring excellent outside shooting mixed with good size. Which he puts to good use on drives and battling down low by bringing a bit of blue collar mentality to his finesse game.

Our final prospect that made a sizable jump in the recent ranking update was Inola forward Jackson Welch Jackson Welch 6'7" | SG Inola | 2024 State OK and just like the other four prospects on this breakdown, Welch seems primed for a big spring and summer. In the 20-40 range of our rankings, there are a few prospects that all range from 6’5-6’7 and Welch is one of them. What puts Welch near the top of that group is his ability to shoot the ball at an extremely consistent level right now. Welch came into this season known for being more of a catch and shoot prospect but it appears that his overall athleticism and his ability to make plays off the dribble has also improved dramatically. And as he continues to improve that skillset, he definitely has the frame and shooting ability to continue to climb up these rankings. We’re looking forward to seeing the continued improvement from Welch and it’s not crazy to think that he could flirt with being a top ten overall prospect after this spring and summer. We have seen similar prospects in terms of size and skillset make that kind of leap after strong offseasons and Welch could be the next up.

This is the second time that I have seen Jackson Welch Jackson Welch 6'7" | SG Inola | 2024 State OK and he impressed me the first time. This game, he came out of the gates firing again, knocking down one three pointer after another. He ended the first quarter with four three pointers. He was fairly quiet throughout the rest of the game, knocking down some free throws and scoring inside the paint. He ended the game with 18 points, but also played great defense and snagged some rebounds.

Jackson Welch Jackson Welch 6'7" | SG Inola | 2024 State OK had a solid game, despite barely playing the second half. In the first half, he scored 13 points and ended the game with 16 points. He made four three-pointers in this game, had a great drive that he did a fake before finishing with a reverse layup, and then the rest of his points came from offensive rebounds. He had a putback on one of them and then the other one he drew the foul and made both of the free throws. In the game, he had a steal and assist on one of the plays and had a good pass to a cutter on another play. My favorite play from him was when he jumped out of bounds to save the ball, repositioned himself in bounds, and then got the ball back and made the three. It was a good game from him, despite barely playing the second half.

Jackson Welch Jackson Welch 6'7" | SG Inola | 2024 State OK scored in various ways in this contest, but he showed that he can really shoot the ball. He utilizes a smooth jumper to guide the ball through the net, which helped him knock down four three pointers in this game. He scored inside a couple of times, including with a reverse layup, but was mainly a lethal shooter. My favorite play from him was when he saved the ball on offense by jumping out of bounds, then he repositioned himself to knock down the three pointer. He came away with a steal and a couple of assists in this game, as well. He had 13 points at halftime and ended with 16. His team was so far ahead that he barely played in the second half.

Another rangy shooter from Class 4A in Eastern Oklahoma, at a recent showcase viewing Welch caught the eye with his combination of shooting, size and movement. He’s best right now as a catch and shoot specialist with his smooth shooting form. But there is upside as the wing showed promise to more often “play to size” with drives, finishes and battling around the rim.