FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – After spending his first season of college basketball at the University of Illinois Chicago, Northrop High School graduate Jalen Jackson is heading back home, as the Fort Wayne native announced last month he would transfer to Purdue Fort Wayne.

A six-foot-two guard, Jackson averaged 7.3 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.6 assists a game for the Flames this past season. He started 14 of the 30 games he played in, as UIC went 12-20 for the season.

Jackson has plenty of ties to Purdue Fort Wayne. His mother, Katie Jackson, played basketball and volleyball for the Dons in the 90s, his uncle was a golfer for the Dons, and his grandfather was a coach and professor at the school.

A 2022 Indiana All-Star as a senior at Northrop, Jackson averaged 27.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.3 steals per game last year for the Bruins.

He joins a PFW squad that finished 17-15 overall and 9-11 in Horizon League play last season. The Dons will have to replace the school’s all-time leading scorer in Jarred Godfrey, as well as standouts Damian Chong Qui, Bobby Planutis, and Ra Kpedi.