Frank Jackson emerged as one of Duke‘s top guards as a freshman this past season. Now, the Blue Devils will reportedly get the chance to see if he can build off of that success in 2017-18.
According to CBS Sports, Jackson plans to return to Duke for his sophomore campaign. The report came just hours after Blue Devil junior Grayson Allen announced that he’ll return for his senior season.
Jackson averaged 10.9 points and 1.7 assists per game as a rookie. He logged 16 starts and split point guard duties with Allen. The Alpine, Utah, product shot 47.3 percent from the field and 39.5 percent from three-point range, finishing third in the running for ACC Sixth Man of the Year honors.
With Jackson and Allen back, Duke returns experience in the backcourt for an otherwise inexperienced team. Amile Jefferson and Matt Jones have exhausted their eligibility, while sophomore Luke Kennard and freshmen Jayson Tatum and Harry Giles declared for the NBA Draft. Big men Sean Obi and Chase Jeter opted to transfer this offseason.
Next season, the Blue Devils will welcome a top-five recruiting class that already includes two 5-star signees. The team is also in the running to land consensus top-10 prospects Trevon Duval (point guard) and Kevin Knox (forward).