COLOGNE, Germany – It’s been a busy and accolade-filled week for former UTSA men’s basketball star Jhivvan Jackson, who received recognition this week as the easyCredit Basketball Bundesliga Most Valuable Player while leading the league’s hottest team, FIT/One Würzburg Baskets, based in Würzburg, Germany. Earlier in the week, Jackson was named the BBL’s Offensive Player of the Year. He was elected with 20.8 percent more votes than the next candidate from voting by league assistant coaches, captains of the 17 Bundesliga teams, members of the media and former BBL professionals. He received the news via a video announcement from his family members prior to Würzburg’s game against MLP Academics Heidelberg.
Since making his professional debut in March 2022 with a 30-point outburst while playing in the Spanish league LEBA Plata and earning the 2024 Baloncesto Superior Nacional Rookie of the Year in Puerto Rico, Jackson has proven to be one of the most effective players in the BBL as point guard for the Baskets during his first season while playing in both Champions League and Basketball Bundesliga competition. Jackson joined Würzburg from Tübingen last summer and is averaging 18.8 points, 4.6 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 27 minutes per game, averaging 51.5 percent from the floor and 36.2 percent from 3-point range.
Priming his season for the double honors, Jackson ranks second in the league in effectiveness (17.1) and is fourth in the league in scoring. The Baskets have one regular season game remaining.
Jackson scored 20 or more points in 14 games, and over 30 three times: against Oldenburg (33), in Chemnitz (35) and a season-high 39 points at Berlin. With an 11-0 run in crunch time, Jackson single-handedly secured the Würzburg’s 84-80 road victory at Alba Berlin on March 23. He was subsequently named the league's best "clutch player" by Dyn commentator and basketball columnist Stefan Koch.
He beat out former Purdue, Boston Celtics and Team USA shooting guard Carsen Edwards (FC Bayern Basketball) and former Dayton small forward Ryan Mikesell (MLP Academics Heidelberg) for the league’s top honor.
During his time with the Roadrunners, the Puerto Rico-born star essentially became an offensive legend, setting the program scoring record during his four seasons at UTSA (2017-18 - 2020-21) while reaching 52nd in NCAA basketball history in points scored. He set UTSA career records in points (2,551), scoring average (22.2), field goals (868) and 3-pointers (367), while setting season records for points (856), scoring average (26.8), field goals (290) and 3-pointers (121).
As UTSA’s all-time leading scorer, Jackson is one of the most prominently known names in UTSA basketball history, breaking the Conference USA league records for single-season scoring average (26.8 in 2019-20) as a junior and the CUSA marks for career field goals and 3-pointers made as a senior in 2020-21. That season, Jackson averaged 19.9 points and 4.2 rebounds per game, setting career highs in assists (3.4) per game. He shot career bests from the field at 46.8 percent and 3-point line at 36.9 percent. Jackson averaged 26.8 points per game as a junior, 22.9 points as a sophomore and 18.4 points per game as a freshman, earning C-USA Freshman of the Year honors.
After the 2017-18 CUSA Freshman of the Year crown, Jackson won three consecutive scoring titles in the league and became the first player in conference history to accomplish that feat. He was named to the All-CUSA Second Team in 2018 and was a three-time All-CUSA first teamer (2019, 2020, 2021). He was named to the NABC and USBWA First Team All-District in both 2019 and 2020.
Over his UTSA career, he went for double figures in 105 games, 20-plus in 79 games, 30-plus in 24 games and 40-plus three times, including a 46-point outburst at Western Kentucky in 2018-19.
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