Fields talks about choosing Jackets, reuniting with Cross

New Georgia Tech head coach Scott Cross made another big addition to his roster on Wednesday as former West Virginia and Troy forward Jackson Fields officially announced his commitment to the Jackets.

The versatile 6-foot-7 player that signed with Troy back in the 2022 recruiting class out of Elkins High in Missouri City, Texas spent his first three college seasons with Cross and the Trojans. That included Fields starting 33 games during the 2024-25 season as a part of Troy’s run to a Sun Belt Conference title and NCAA Tournament berth, averaging 7.9 points and 4.8 rebounds.

Fields transferred to West Virginia prior to this past season but only played in nine games for the Mountaineers due to a wrist injury that allowed him to take a medical redshirt and preserve another year of eligibility which he will use on The Flats. He has played in 104 total games with 60 starts in his four collegiate seasons and gives Cross a player that can fill multiple roles with the ability to play at the 3, 4 or even 5 spot and defend the opponent’s top scoring option.

Recently, Fields caught up with JOL to talk about his recent commitment to play at Georgia Tech after almost a month-long transfer portal process, his prior experience with Cross, how he sees himself as a player on the court and what he expects for the new-look Jackets this coming season. Here’s what he had to say:

What has this last month or so been like in the transfer portal, which teams reached out to you and what made Georgia Tech the choice for you in the end?

FIELDS: “First off, I want to give all honor to the man above, Jesus Christ, because without him none of this would be possible. But these last few weeks have been hectic to say the least honestly. I had a few schools reach out, a lot of schools…schools in the Big Ten, Big 12, ACC, SEC. They reached out to my dad and some with me. Ultimately it was just trying to figure out what I was familiar with and what was home and where I thought I could thrive on and off the court. And being with Coach Cross for my first three years, I saw how he coached, how I developed as a player and as a man quite honestly. It just seemed like the right choice in the end to go with what I know and try not to do anything foreign honestly.”

What is your relationship with Coach Cross like after playing for him before and how much are you looking forward to restarting that with him at GT?

FIELDS: “Coach Cross, like I said, he’s a great coach, great person off the court. Me and him had a great personal relationship. He gave me the responsibility to be the leader on the team my sophomore and junior year at Troy, not really as a freshman when I was kind of learning. So he guided me along, helped me out, showed me just what to do. Really the familiarity with the defense and his language and his talk, how he runs his team is something that I’m ready to get back to. I saw what it did for me at Troy so I’m ready to see what it can do for me now.”

What do you think of the roster Coach Cross has assembled so far for his first season at Georgia Tech and the teammates you’re going to be playing with?

FIELDS: “I definitely feel like we have some guys. I’ve seen a few of them play. I’ve actually played against a few of them. I played against Nasir Whitlock. Of course I know ‘Vic’ (Victor Valdes from Troy). And I’ve seen a few of the other guys play. I think we’ve got a good squad. He’s kind of recruited like how he recruited at Troy…guys that fit in his play style, tough, grimy, defense, do whatever they need to do to win. I think those guys fit that, and I feel like it’s going to be fun to watch. We’re going to turn a lot of heads because I know a lot of people are not really expecting much with it being a new coach and a new team. But I’m just ready to go out there and shock the world honestly.”

How would you describe yourself as a player on the court and what kind of skillset do you have?

FIELDS: “I feel like I play inside-out. First, I can definitely hit the 3. I take the ball off the dribble now being in the 4-man role. But yeah, I feel like I can play anywhere on the court. I can guard 1 through 5 honestly. We switched a lot at Troy, and I can guard, move my feet and play defense. I’m going to knock down open shots, and I’m going to get to the basket for sure. And definitely, definitely rebound and block shots. I take pride in rebounding and playing defense because if you can’t score then you aren’t going to win so that’s what I like. Coach Cross harps on defense. If you can’t play defense, you might not see the court for too long.”

What should Georgia Tech fans that might not know much about you yet expect from you now that you are a part of the Jackets’ program?

FIELDS: “They can expect a leader and a winner, somebody that’s going to go out there and do whatever it takes to get the job done. Whatever it takes, if it’s get a stop, go get a bucket, get a rebound…I’m just trying to win. I do whatever it takes for the team to win. I’m a dog. I’m not going to lay down and just roll over with any competition. I’m going to be out there going hard to the last buzzer because you never know what can happen.”

What do you feel like the expectations are for the team this upcoming season and trying to overachieve for what many outside the program might predict?

FIELDS: “Of course I haven’t had a season yet in my college career without 20 wins so I definitely feel like we can get 20 wins. It’s going to be a longshot and everybody’s going to say I’m crazy, everybody said I was crazy my junior year when I said we were going to win it at Troy, but I think we can win the ACC. Maybe not the regular season, but we can be a dark horse in the tournament and turn some heads. You’ve got to play your best ball in March. That’s when it matters. So I’m just ready to get to The Flats and give the fans something to watch and bring the hype back to Georgia Tech because it’s been a minute since they were winning. We’re going to turn it back up for sure. You’ve got to aim high. That ceiling can’t be low.”