CHICAGO (April 30, 2024) – The 2024-25 UIC men's basketball roster continued to take shape on Tuesday, as head coach Rob Ehsan welcomed junior guard Javon Jackson (Houston, Texas/C.E. King/Utah State) to the Flames' program. Jackson (first name pronounced Juh-VON) is the fourth student-athlete to sign with UIC in the past week, along with sophomore forward Saša Ciani (Nova Gorica, Slovenia/Koder School/Xavier), sophomore guard Ahmad Henderson II (Chicago, Ill./Brother Rice/Niagara) and graduate student guard Joshua Reaves (Hamden, Conn./South Kent School/Mount St. Mary's).
 
"Javon is an excellent shooter and scorer who can impact the game in a variety of ways on the offensive end," Ehsan said. "He's also a versatile defender and has experience playing and winning big everywhere he has been, including his recent NCAA Tournament appearance at Utah State. In addition, Javon is a high-character student-athlete and someone we feel will be a tremendous fit with our championship culture."
 
Jackson is a 6-foot-3, 190-pound guard who spent last season at Utah State University, appearing in 28 games and averaging 4.5 points per game with a .379 three-point percentage for an Aggies' squad that went 28-7, won the Mountain West Conference title and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. He scored in double figures three times, including a career-high 16 points, five rebounds and three steals in Utah State's conference tournament quarterfinal win over Fresno State on March 14. Eight days earlier at San José State, Jackson connected on 5-of-6 three-pointers and scored 15 points while his .833 three-point percentage ranks among the top 15 in program history for a single game.
 
Prior to Utah State, Jackson began his collegiate career with one season (2022-23) at Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Okla. He played in 32 games and made 25 starts for the Crimson Storm, ranking second on the team in scoring (15.8 ppg.) and leading the squad in assists (2.75 apg.) and steals (1.3 spg.), while adding 3.4 rebounds per game. He also scored in double figures 26 times, including nine 20-point outings, and was named the Great American Conference Freshman of the Year, as well as a first-team all-conference selection.
 
Jackson was a prep standout at C.E. King High School in Houston, Texas, and also spent one year at Impact Basketball Academy following his graduation. He was a four-time first-team all-district selection at C.E. King, helping lead the Panthers to consecutive District 22-6A championships. As a senior in 2019-20, he was a Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC) Class 6A all-state pick and the District 22-6A Player of the Year while averaging 19.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.
 
Fans are strongly encouraged to support NIL opportunities for UIC student-athletes through contributions to The Chicago Collective. In addition, season ticket deposits for the 2024-25 Flames' men's basketball campaign are currently being accepted online through Ticketmaster or by contacting the UIC Athletics Ticket Office (312.413.8421; athleticsticketing@uic.edu).
 
For more information on UIC men's basketball, fans are encouraged to visit UICFlames.com, or follow the Flames on social media through X (@UIC_MBB and @UICFlames) and Instagram (@uic_mbb and @uicflames).