Jackson makes it official, signs with Racers

MBB: UIC's leading scorer from 2024-25 is headed to Murray State

Javon Jackson has played at Utah State and UIC in the last two seasons. (Photo: Murray State Athletics)

Hours after announcing he was committing to Murray State, Javon Jackson made it official by signing with the Racers.

Jackson averaged 11.6 points last season for UIC, as he helped the Flames finish 10-10 in the Missouri Valley Conference and 17-14 overall. He shot 38.6% from the floor and 30.6% from three-point range.

"Javon has an incredible skill set that allows for scoring from all three levels and his quickness helps him create for his teammates and it puts pressure on the opponent's defense," Murray State Head Coach Ryan Miller said in a statement. "Anytime you can add the kind of collegiate experience that Javon has, it's a big plus. We're looking forward to having him be a Murray State Racer."

The 6’3 guard from Houston, Texas played his freshman season at Division II Southern Nazarene before transferring to Utah State. Jackson only averaged 4.5 points with the Aggies, but shot 37.9% from beyond the arc.

Last season against Murray State, Jackson scored 30 points in UIC’s double overtime win over the Racers in Chicago.

Jackson will have one year of eligibility remaining.

With Jackson officially signing, Murray State now has six players who are set to be on next year’s roster playing for the Racers:

• Ben Shtolzberg (6’4 senior guard/3.8 PPG last year at UC Santa Barbara)

• KJ Tenner (6’0 sophomore guard/2.4 PPG last year at West Virginia)

• Mason Miller (6’9 senior guard/1.1 PPG last year at Creighton)

• Fredrick King (6’9 senior forward/2.7 PPG last year at Creighton)

• JJ Traynor (6’9 senior forward/5.6 PPG last year at DePaul)

• Javon Jackson (6’3 senior guard/11.6 PPG last year at UIC)

Miller still has nine scholarships he can fill for the 2025-26 season.

Here are the six players who could return to the Racers next year, but have yet to make anything publicly official regarding their future:

• Junior guard Patrick Chew

• Senior forward Nick Ellington (has entered the transfer portal, but isn’t ruling out returning to Murray State)

• Senior forward KyeRon Lindsay (has entered the transfer portal, but isn’t ruling out returning to Murray State)

• Senior guard Justin Morgan

• Incoming freshman guard Tristian Ford

• Incoming freshman guard Kaden Rickard