Illinois' Jackson takes shot at football



CHAMPAIGN -- Illinois basketball power forward C.J. Jackson is working out with the Illini football team and, if all goes well, coach Ron Zook expects him to be with the team for preseason practice at Camp Rantoul.

"He's a very athletic guy and he's a very hard worker," Zook said of the 6-foot-8-inch, 260-pound sophomore tight end, who earned four varsity letters in basketball, four in football and three in track at Tri-County High in Georgia. "He wants to make a go at it.

"I talked to (Illinois basketball) coach [Bruce] Weber and he's OK with it. If he's a guy who's going to help our program and coach Weber is nice enough to let us use him, I have no problem taking care of him.

"We offered him [a football scholarship] when I was at Florida; most of the Southeastern Conference schools offered him one in football. I just wish we'd have had him for all of spring practice. We only had him for four practices, and two were scrimmages."

If Jackson makes the football team, he will be on a football scholarship and Weber will have an additional basketball scholarship to offer.

"We wouldn't do anything right now," Weber said when asked about the scholarship that may be available. "C.J. is a great kid and we want him to be happy. He approached us and we told him to go after football, spend some time with them in the weight room and see what happens. He asked if he can come back [to basketball] after the football season. We told him when we get to December, if Coach Zook is OK with it and if everything is going well in the classroom, we'd love to have him back with us."

After being redshirted in 2005-06, Jackson played 12 games for the Illini last season, averaging 4 1/2 minutes of court time, 1.1 points and 1.5 rebounds.

Extra points
Quarterback Chris Leak, who starred on Florida's national championship team last season, will be at Zook's Illinois quarterback camp Saturday and Sunday. When Zook was Florida's head coach, he recruited Chris Leak and made him the Gators' starting quarterback as a freshman. … Senior center Shaun Pruitt, who declared for the NBA draft but hasn't hired an agent, is expected to withdraw his name before the June 18 deadline and return to the Illinois basketball team.

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