When Ian Jackson enrolled at the University of North Carolina last year, he was the rated the #8 overall prospect in his freshman class. After a decent, but not dominant freshman season with the Tar Heels (11.9 ppg, 2.7 rebounds per game, 45.6% FG, 39.5% 3-PT in 36 games), Jackson is once again a free agent.
Given the strength of his NBA Draft stock, it is not surprising that he’s left Chapel Hill, NC.
What’s surprising is that he’s headed to another school, not the draft process.
“Capt. Jack,” as he’s nicknamed, officially entered the portal yesterday, and he’s easily the top shooting guard available. He’s also a top five, maybe top three, overall player available in the portal.
We had an exclusive with Ian Jackson during March Madness, and perhaps the conversation holds some clues, if you read in between the tea leaves, as to where his next destination might be.
And we’ll analyze all those potential destinations later on right here.
We asked Ian Jackson, during the NCAA Tournament in Milwaukee, what he’s most proud of thus far in his young basketball career.
“My gold medals (at the FIBA U-17 Basketball World Cup and FIBA U-16 World Championship),” he said to The Sports Bank.
“That’s probably what I’m most proud of, the most special thing for me- to have the USA name across your chest, to compete against Spain, the best 16-year-olds in the world.”
Ian Jackson is a Bronx native, and the bright lights of ‘the capital of the world’ prepared him for the microscope at Carolina (and wherever he’s headed next.
“Basketball is super important for the city of New York,” Jackson added. “They are highly invested in the sport, to be a part of that experience is huge.”
Jackson also had a chance to play in the best rivalry in all of sports, UNC-Duke, on three occasions this past season.
“The most fun game I’ve ever been a part of, or played in,” he said of the experiences.
“The atmosphere for each game was amazing, everything was great, I enjoyed it!”
Five Potential Destinations for Ian Jackson
St. John’s
It’s really close to home in NYC, so that’s a natural fit. Plus, despite the early NCAA Tournament exit, Rick Pitino has brought the program back.
And with this breakthrough 2024-25 season, which resulted in a #2 seed, they now have both the foundation and the momentum to spend big and add more pieces this offseason.
USC or Arkansas
Trojans head coach Eric Musselman, leading Arkansas at the time, finished second in the recruiting of Ian Jackson the first time. So you have to consider Musselman, and thus USC, a front-runner now. Ditto for the place where he almost ended up.
And in today’s climate of Name, Image & Likeness, Fayetteville is a place with a TON of money to throw down for top free agents like Jackson.
That’s because ace recruiter John Calipari is now running the program with some major momentum, having gone much deeper in March Madness than most people expected.
Plus Coach Cal has a great history of developing guards to the NBA, as the dribble-drive system could facilitate the Ian Jackson skill set to the fullest.
Kentucky
UNC is arguably the bluest of all the college basketball blue bloods, and they’re third all-time in total victories. They have a massive base that eats, drinks, sleeps and breathes their favorite program. If Jackson wants to experience that again, UK is the place to go.
Of course, you need to have major self-confidence in order to survive and thrive in a place like this R.J. Davis, North Carolina’s all-time leading scorer described Jackson thusly:
“Ian is a confident kid. He’s a shot maker and is able to get it going.”
Illinois
The Illini have the second biggest NIL budget in the Big Ten, behind only Indiana. Plus they have a need for scorers and shooting guards/wings right now.
Plus Asst. Coach Orlando Antigua has a track record for reeling in some of the biggest fish. Still, as someone who covers the program…I don’t really see this happening.
Kudos to the Illini podcasters out there discussing this idea though!
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.