Clarence “Monzy” Jackson signs with New Mexico State

(Courtesy: NMSU Athletics)

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico - The Aggies have now added their second Georgia product and first front court signee as Head Coach Jason Hooten introduced Clarence "Monzy" Jackson as the newest member of the program.
 
The forward will be making his third Division I stop after spending last season at Jacksonville State and the previous two years at Wichita State.
 
Clarence "Monzy" Jackson | Sr. | F | 6-7 | Dublin, Ga. | Jacksonville State | Wichita State | Polk State College | Dublin HS

• The big man heads to Las Cruces on the heels of a junior season at Jacksonville State in which he averaged 7.2 points and 4.7 rebounds per game while appearing in 26 of the Gamecocks' 31 games.
• Scored a season-high 17 points on 7-9 shooting in JSU's season opener against Shorter University. Jackson's debut with the Gamecocks also included seven rebounds, three steals, two blocks and a pair of assists.
• On the season, Jackson posted seven double-digit scoring efforts, including recording a double-double (11 points, 10 rebounds) against North Alabama on Dec. 30. This also accounted for one of three 10-plus rebound outings that Jackson turned in while playing under Head Coach Ray Harper.
• Prior to suiting up for the Gamecocks, Jackson played two seasons at Wichita State where he became a favorite among the Wichita State faithful. Across two years as a Shocker, he appeared in 50 games and totaled 216 points and 185 rebounds.
• Jackson appeared in all 28 games and made three starts while averaging 3.8 points and 3.1 rebounds in 13.2 minutes per game in his last season with the Shocker program (2021-22). He also made the Spring 2022 Athletic Director's Honor Roll after finishing the semester with a GPA of above 3.0.
• His last season with WSU also came alongside guard Qua Grant who went on to transfer to Sam Houston State where he played under new Aggie bench boss Jason Hooten and earned 2022-23 WAC Player of the Year honors.
• Perhaps Jackson's best season at the Division I level came in 2020-21 when he served as a key reserve on WSU's American Athletic Conference regular season championship team that won 16 games in an abbreviated season and earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament, averaging 5.0 points and 4.4 rebounds while appearing in 22 contests. Jackson also claimed the Shockers' Shafer Dart Most-Inspirational Player Award.
• Ranked inside the American Conference's top 10 in offensive rebounds per game (1.6) despite averaging just under 14 minutes per game. His rebounding ability was on full display in the NCAA Tournament when he pulled down seven boards in just 14 minutes of action against Drake on March 18, 2021.
• Ahead of his stint with Wichita State, Jackson made a stop at Polk State College in Winter Haven, Fla., where he averaged 13.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per game while shooting better than 50% from the field.
• After leading the Eagles to 21 wins and a runner-up finish in the conference tournament, Jackson turned in a 22-point, 21-rebound effort in his final game with Polk State. Following the standout year, Jackson was named the No. 6 JUCO signee in the Class of 2020 according to 247Sports and the No. 23 ranked player on JUCORecruiting.com's top-100 list.
• This led to over 20 Division I scholarship offers, including an offer from NM State and Chris Jans to make Coach Hooten the second Aggie coach to recruit the stretch four. He also garnered interest from LSU, Texas Tech, Boise State and Iona after his season at Polk State.
• Before making his way to Polk State, he spent a post-graduate year at Middle Georgia Prep to focus exclusively on improving his game.
• In high school, he was a two-time all-state selection, tallied over 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds and won two state championships.
• In his senior season, he earned First Team All-Class AA South honors after averaging 21 points and 12 rebounds at Dublin High School where he helped lead the Gaels to a regional title and the second round of the Class AA state tournament.
• Previously, he played at Wilkinson County High School in Irwinton, Fla., and helped them back-to-back state titles while competing in Florida's Class A public school division.
• Jackson is the son of Juanita and Durham and has one brother, Rylan.

QUOTABLE | Head Coach Jason Hooten
"We are excited for Monzy to join our Aggie Family! Bringing in a young man with so much experience is crucial for our program at this juncture. He gives great effort on both ends of the floor and plays with passion. His ability to rebound, make threes and make all the tough winning plays are what sold us on him and his family!"