"The best basketball player in town"

That's high praise for Knox's Jason Maclin — blared across the sports page in The Zephyr and coming, as it did, from a sports journalist in a basketball-crazy town like Galesburg. An English and education double-major, Maclin recently capped his junior season at Knox by passing the 1,000-point mark in career scoring, getting tapped for the all-conference second team, and helping propel Knox into the Midwest Conference playoffs.

Maclin came to Knox from Kenwood Academy in Chicago. "I just wanted to play ball. Coach Heimann told me I would get the opportunity to do that and to be a student as well," Maclin told The Zephyr sports editor John Ring, for an article in February. "Not many colleges tell you that you're a student first and then a basketball player. I liked that approach."

In Midwest Conference games, Jason Maclin ranked 5th in scoring (19.6 ppg), 5th in free throw percentage (79.5%), 14th in 3-point percentage (37.1%), and 8th in 3-pointers (2.25 made per-game).

On the season, Maclin averaged 19.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game while shooting 80.9% from the free throw line, 46% from the field, and 42.8% from behind the three-point line.

The Zephyr labeled Maclin as "an impact player" and "a safe bet to finish in the Top Ten" in career points at Knox. However, Maclin told the Zephyr, "Coming to Knox helped me focus on my studies and being the best student that I can be."

"My priority is academics," Maclin told the Zephyr. "It's been a great experience so far and it's even going to get better. I've been lucky in that I met a lot of great people — alumni, teachers and other students."

Jason Maclin

Photograph by Andy Fitz.