Jackson, Gatling make their choices

By Dave Fawcett

Published: October 21, 2008

Forest Park High School basketball teammates Danni Jackson and Gerda Gatling decided this past weekend they had seen enough.
It was no longer necessary to visit any of the other Division I colleges they had official visits scheduled for.
Gatling went first, committing Monday to Stony Brook. Jackson followed up Tuesday by committing to George Washington. The two seniors will make their choices official when they sign their national letters of intent during the week-long early-signing period that begins Nov. 12.
“For both of them, they are academically strong students,” said Forest Park head girls basketball coach Rebecca Tillett. “They found universities that matched their athletic prowess.”
Jackson, a first-team all-state guard last season who was also the Cardinal District and Northwest Region Player of the Year, chose the Colonials over offers from Wake Forest, Radford, Temple, South Florida and Middle Tennessee.
Jackson, who carries a 3.5 grade point average, had made only one other official visit, which was to Wake Forest. She had a scheduled visit to Radford this coming weekend, but cancelled it.
“I just felt comfortable [with George Washington],” Jackson said. “They treated me as part of their team.”
George Washington first began recruiting Jackson after seeing her play on Boo Williams Elite team last spring. Jackson made an unofficial visit to the school in August, where she was offered a scholarship.
“They like to run and obviously I like to run,” said Jackson who averaged 16.1 points a game last season to finish as the team’s leading scorer.
The Colonials have reached the NCAA Tournament the last six seasons. For the 2007-08 season, George Washington went 27-7 and reached the regional semifinals. Mike Bozeman is the Colonials’ first-year coach, replacing Joe McKeown, who stepped down after 19 seasons to take the job at Northwestern.
Gatling, a second-team all-district forward last season, chose Stony Brook over the New Jersey Institute of Technology, Marshall, Radford and Mount St. Mary’s. Gatling, who also carries a 3.5 grade point average, had visits scheduled to both Radford and Mount St. Mary’s over the next two weekends.
Stony Brook got involved in recruiting Gatling a month ago after Gatling’s visit to Marshall had an unexpected turn of events.
A season-ending injury to the Thundering Herd’s only senior prevented Marshall from having an available scholarship for Gatling because the injured senior would have to be red-shirted and therefore in need of that one scholarship for the following season.
A Marshall assistant called Stony Brook and told the Long Island-based school about Gatling. The Seawolves went 8-23 last season under second-year coach Michele Cherry.
Both Gatling and Jackson are four-year varsity members for the Bruins. Jackson will also be a four-year starter, while Gatling will be a three-year starter this season.
The Bruins now have three Division I commitments on their roster with senior Briana Scott, who is headed to Georgia Southern, being the other.
Last season, all three helped Forest Park go 25-5 and reach the Group AAA state final.