Ethan Jackson is back home. And home looks a lot different.
Jackson played at Homewood-Flossmoor his freshman and sophomore years, then transferred to Leo as a junior. The senior guard is back this season with the Vikings.
“I love being back,” he said. “I’m playing with a new group of guys. It’s a younger team and I like taking the role as a leader. I’m glad I am back to finish with the team and community as a whole.”
Thanks in part to Jackson’s play, the visiting Vikings were able to finish off what was a tight game for three quarters Friday night with a 52-40 win over Lincoln-Way Central in a SouthWest Suburban Conference opener in New Lenox.
The 5-foot-10 Jackson scored five points and came up with a steal during an 8-2 run to help H-F (4-0, 1-0) take a 42-32 lead. The Vikings had held a slim 34-30 advantage after three quarters.
Jackson ended up with 10 points and two steals. The Vikings featured a balanced scoring attack as Darrius Hawkins Jr. and Danny Ruffin led the way with 11 points apiece.
Homewood-Flossmoor’s Darrius Hawkins Jr. (4) and Ethan Jackson (3) greet Lincoln-Way Central’s Nolan Morrill (1) in a SouthWest Suburban Conference game in New Lenox on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (Steve Johnston / Daily Southtown)
Micah Evans paced Lincoln-Way Central (3-2, 0-1) with 16 points and 12 rebounds, including nine rebounds in the first half. Nick Brzezniak added 11 points, six rebounds and two blocks. Drew Woodburn scored 10 points.
Jackson, meanwhile, has been a pleasant surprise for Brandin Brown, a 2007 graduate who’s in his first year as H-F’s coach. Brown also is glad to be back home and happy that Jackson decided to come back home as well.
“That would be an understatement, right?” Brown said. “For him, the experience that he has with our group being inexperienced … what he brings to us is priceless.
“His ability to shoot the ball is second to none to any of the guys I have coached before. I like his toughness. He fights for every possession, and that’s something you can’t put a price tag on.”
Homewood-Flossmoor’s Danny Ruffin (5) drives to the basket against Lincoln-Way Central’s Micah Evans (33) during a SouthWest Suburban Conference game in New Lenox on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (Steve Johnston / Daily Southtown)
Hawkins, a sophomore guard whose seven points in the second quarter helped give H-F a 21-20 halftime lead, is also pleased with Jackson’s decision to return to the program.
“He’s a wonderful teammate to have – especially being a senior,” Hawkins said of Jackson. “He’s someone I look up to on a day-to-day basis, especially in practice and the weight room.
“We get our work in together and it’s amazing to have him as a teammate. I’m able to trust him shooting in the corner. Just to be able to find him and see him, I know he’s going to knock it down.”
Jackson finds himself in a different situation for his homecoming.
Lincoln-Way Central’s Nick Brzezniak (22) and Homewood-Flossmoor’s John Brown IV (14) go after the ball during a SouthWest Suburban Conference game in New Lenox on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (Steve Johnston / Daily Southtown)
When he was a sophomore, Jackson was on the junior varsity when H-F made history by winning the Class 4A state championship.
He was in the crowd at State Farm Center in Champaign, cheering on the Vikings when players Gianni Cobb and Bryce Heard were the stars of the show.
Now?
Jackson wouldn’t mind being a leader on a team that wins another title.
Homewood-Flossmoor’s Ethan Jackson (3) puts a shot up over Lincoln-Way Central’s Drew Woodburn (4) during a SouthWest Suburban Conference game in New Lenox on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (Steve Johnston / Daily Southtown)
“Of course it’s in the back of my head,” Jackson said of a state championship. “I’m a competitive person and I always want to win. In my heart, I believe anything is possible.
“A state run is definitely possible with the coaching staff and the players and the game plan.”
Jackson was a self-starter when it came to basketball. When he was 4 years old, he got hooked on the sport he saw on TV.
“I watched Derrick Rose,” Jackson said. “I saw basketball on TV as a young one and I got into it. I always stuck to it and I’ve always been interested and I wanted to put the work in more and more.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
