July 28, 2016
Former University of Notre Dame men’s basketball guard Demetrius Jackson has signed a multi-year, five-point-five million dollar contract with the Boston Celtics. The 45th selection in the 2016 NBA Draft, Jackson’s deal spans three seasons with the Celtics and the team has an option for a fourth.
“Demetrius had the potential to become a next level player as soon as he joined our program,” Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey said.
“He continued to work hard on his development and has now earned an opportunity to compete at the highest level with one of the NBA’s best organizations. His work ethic and leadership abilities give him a foundation to develop into a 10-year guy in the league.”
Jackson appeared in five contests for the Celtics during the Las Vegas Summer League, averaging 4.0 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 15.8 minutes per game. He also played in the Utah Summer League for Boston, averaging 7.3 points and 1.7 rebounds in 18.0 minutes per game.
Report: Celtics to pay second-round pick Demetrius Jackson more than 10 first-rounders next year https://t.co/dHgVeJCVa2
– Kurt Helin (@basketballtalk) July 28, 2016
Jackson was a second-team All-ACC selection by both the league coaches and media in 2015-16, while leading the Irish in scoring (15.8 ppg), assists (164, 4.7 pg) and steals (43, 1.2). He was named to the NCAA All-East Regional Tournament team, capping off his Notre Dame career with a 26-point performance against North Carolina in the regional final, while also pushing the Irish to the Elite Eight with two steals, one of which he then scored off of for the game winning points, in the final seconds of Notre Dame’s 61-56 victory over Wisconsin in the Sweet 16.
Jackson finished his Notre Dame career with 1,204 points (11.7 pg), 335 assists (3.3 pg) and 114 steals (1.1 pg). He averaged over 31 minutes played per game in his career, including 36.0 per game in 2014-15 and 31.5 per game in 2015-16. He finished 40th on the all-time scoring list at Notre Dame, 17th in assists, tied for 17th in steals and tied for 17th in free throw percentage (.782).