Sports

Destination unknown: Iona Prep’s Mack still mulling college choices

While many graduating seniors have already left for their respective college or will be in the coming weeks, Jeff Mack still isn’t sure where he will be packing his bags for. The Iona Prep two-sport star remains undecided and with no concrete timetable for making a choice.

“I’m just trying to go to the best school that is going to fit me,” the Bronx native said.

For Mack, who was receiving interest from Syracuse, Rutgers and Maryland among others, that means being able to play football and basketball. He said he will chose between Northern Iowa and C.W. Post. He did stress the need to get a good education and also did not rule out going to prep school. Both C.W. Post and Northern Iowa started recruiting him early on and run the spread offense in which Mack was so successful in at Iona.

As a junior, the elusive running back rushed for 1,953 yards and 25 touchdowns leading the Gaels to an unbeaten CHSFL Class AAA title with a championship game win over perennial power St. Anthony’s. Injury limited him as a senior. He played in nine games and ran for 607 yards and found the end zone 12 times.

“They both are great schools and hopefully I make the right decision,” the 5-foot-8, 170-pound Mack said.

Until then he will spend his summer preparing and training to be ready to help whatever school he ends up at. Besides running stairs and working on his 40 time in Van Cortlandt Park, Mack will be playing in numerous streetball leagues throughout the city including Hoops in the Sun, Dyckman, Watson and Kingdome. He has been playing with the Dyckman organization at some level since he was 14, the last two in the men’s leagues.

“Even though I am only 17 it’s always good to play up and play against better competition,” Mack said. “When you get to college that is going to be the competition you will be playing against. So you get a good experience and every game you play you play smarter.”

The speedy and strong point guard averaged 8.0 points per game on the hardwood as a senior and helped lead the Gaels to the CHSAA Class A intersectional title as a junior.

Mack proved himself on the streetball circuit as well, drawing comparisons to Nate Robinson of the Boston Celtics because of his size, tenacity and fearless approach to the game. After a drive and dish in a group of big for The Young Ones on Saturday at Hoops in the Sun, play-by-play man Bobby C said that Mack was giving all the smaller players the blueprint for how to get it done

“I think it is the experience that he has, the maturity, plus the athleticism,” Young Ones coach and Dyckman founder Kenny Stevens said. “Football definitely helps him with basketball with being aggressive. Plus he just can flat out play.”

That’s exactly the type of player whichever school Mack chooses will get. He doesn’t mind that he isn’t taking the conventional route, or the one others thought he would follow.

“A lot of people expect me to go to different schools, schools they want to see me at,” Mack said. “In the end it’s all about me and where I am going to fit.”