Jackson might also have stayed too long

Defensive end George Selvie is not the only USF athlete who might have erred in not coming out for the professional draft at his first opportunity.

There is also Altron Jackson, the Sarasota Riverview High superstar who finished his basketball career at USF in 2002 as the Bulls second leading career scorer. He had an opportunity come out for the NBA draft after his junior year and decided against it.

The 6-7 wingman was coming off a banner season. He was a first team Conference USA selection and was being lauded for his offensive and defensive skills.

Jackson was thinking about declaring for the draft, but decided to stay for his final season, partly because of advice he received from people close to him.

The move didn’t turn out so good. Quite a few new players came into C-USA. Jackson wound up being a second team selection and his stock dropped.

Jackson finished his career with 2017 points and the C-USA all-time career scoring leader. However, he couldn’t land with an NBA team and wound up playing in Europe where he had some standout seasons.

Jackson has since returned home and retired as a player. He is completing his degree work at USF and worked a volunteer assistant this past season. He recently said he had no regrets about his decision.