Chicago, Ill. - The Roosevelt men's basketball team added a talented student-athlete to its frontcourt on Thursday as head coach Joe Griffin announced that 6-foot-5 forward Jeremiah Jackson, who played last season as a freshman at Northern Illinois University, has signed with the Lakers for the 2012-13 campaign.

Jackson played in 25 games last season for the Huskies, averaging 1.4 points and 0.7 rebounds per outing while shooting 46 percent from the field. He tallied a season-best five points against Kent State on Jan. 25 and pulled down a career-high two rebounds on four occasions.

"Jeremiah will be able to defend and rebound from day one, filling an important void in our personnel," said Griffin. "He brings size, strength, and good hands with experience at the Division I level to our team.

"Jeremiah has an opportunity to really enhance our team for the next three years and help take us to the next level," Griffin continued. "We are thrilled to add Jeremiah Jackson to our rising program."

Jackson enjoyed a standout prep career prior to enrolling at Northern Illinois, starting at Simeon High School under head coach Robert Smith before transferring to Warren High School in Gurnee, Ill., where he played for head coach Chuck Ramsey.

At Warren, he helped the Blue Devils to a 31-4 record and IHSA Class 4A runner-up finish in 2011. His side lost in the title game to his former school, Simeon. That season, Jackson averaged 9.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, garnering All-Area accolades from the Daily Herald and the Waukegan News Sun, as well as All-North Suburban Conference honors.

Jackson played on the AAU circuit for TEAM NLP, coached by Dickey Simpkins, an NBA World Champion with the Chicago Bulls.

Jackson, who will have three years of eligibility remaining, joins a 2012 recruiting class that features junior college transfer Aaron Valerio and Argo High School product Tamone Littlefield. The Lakers also return nine letterwinners from last season, including All-CCAC selection, Brandyn Denson.