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Friday, March 29, 2024
The Observer

Demetrius Jackson selected by Boston Celtics in NBA Draft

Irish junior guard Demetrius Jackson drives during Notre Dame’s 88-74 loss to North Carolina on Sunday in Philadelphia.
Irish junior guard Demetrius Jackson drives during Notre Dame’s 88-74 loss to North Carolina on Sunday in Philadelphia.
Irish junior guard Demetrius Jackson drives during Notre Dame’s 88-74 loss to North Carolina on Sunday in Philadelphia.


After a slide into the middle of the second round, former Notre Dame guard Demetrius Jackson is headed to the NBA after being selected with the 45th overall pick by the Boston Celtics.

Jackson’s selection marks the second straight year Notre Dame has had a player taken in the draft — guard Jerian Grant, who now plays for the Chicago Bulls, was selected 19th overall last year by the Washington Wizards, while Portland Trail Blazers guard/forward Pat Connaughton was a second-round Brooklyn Nets selection in 2015.

Jackson’s early departure from Notre Dame to the NBA is rare in the program’s history; he joins Adrian Dantley, who was selected sixth overall in 1976, and Troy Murphy, the 14th pick in 2001, as Irish players to be selected following their junior seasons.

When Jackson, a Mishawaka native, arrived at Notre Dame in 2013, the program hadn’t advanced to the Sweet 16 in 10 seasons. But as he leaves Notre Dame, he does so with back-to-back Elite Eight appearances under his belt, including a 2016 trip as a team captain.

“I think that we really changed the culture of the postseason play,” Jackson said March 30 at a press conference announcing his departure. “When I was in high school, people would talk about how Notre Dame would lose in the first round every year and things like that, but people don’t say that about us anymore. I just feel like we’ve really been able to accomplish some great things and make history.”

The 6-foot-2 guard heads to the NBA after a season where he led Notre Dame in scoring average (15.8 points per game), assists (164 in 35 games) and steals (43), signing off with his late-game heroics in the Sweet 16 win over Wisconsin and a 26-point performance in the Elite Eight loss to North Carolina.

After he announced his intention to enter the NBA Draft, Jackson said he intended on completing his degree at Notre Dame, saying he would talk with his academic advisor to work on a plan.