By R.L. Bynum
It was always assumed that Ian Jackson, as a five-star recruit, would have a big season and leave North Carolina after one year, but it didn’t work out quite as expected.
Jackson did move on, but instead of heading to the NBA, the Bronx native will play his sophomore season close to home at St. John’s and expects Coach Rick Pitino to “let me rock.”
After a season that included an impressive midseason stretch but ended with Jackson coming off the bench, he concluded that UNC wasn’t for him, and he wanted a new opportunity.
On an episode of his “Captain Jack Show” podcast, he explained why he left while calling Carolina “great, great people.”
“It just wasn’t for me,” Jackson said of playing at UNC, where he averaged 11.9 points in 36 games while shooting 45.6% from the floor and 39.5% from 3-point range but struggling defensively after coming to UNC as the No. 7 player in the Class of 2024. “It was some things that I couldn’t show, I couldn’t do on the floor that I feel like I could have done. But it’s a journey. Just a different opportunity.”
Jackson, who showed elite skills and the ability to beat just about any defender off the dribble, felt that transferring was best for him.
“For me, it was just about who’s going to let me go and go play. Let me be me,” Jackson said. “Let me go make plays, be Ian Jackson. That was big for me, especially this year, [it] is going to be a big year. I just wanted to be somewhere where I could be free and just play and win games. For me, St John’s is important.”
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Jackson never mentioned UNC coach Hubert Davis during the podcast, but he had praise for his Carolina experience.
“I’m gonna miss it there, bro,” Jackson said. “Carolina was great. The school itself was great. The kids, the fans — it was lit.”
When he was finishing his academic year at UNC after making his decision, he heard from fellow students as he walked on campus.
“It was different,” Jackson said. “Everybody on campus knew. So, just going around campus, going to class, everybody’s like, ‘Yo, don’t leave. Don’t leave.’ Asking, ‘Why you leaving?’ It was regular.”
Jackson is one of five players on last season’s team who transferred, along with Elliott Cadeau (who will play at Michigan), Jalen Washington (Vanderbilt), Cade Tyson (Minnesota) and Ven-Allen Lubin (N.C. State).
It looked like it was all coming together for Jackson and UNC when he scored 24 points in a win over UCLA on Dec. 21 at what will be his home court next season, Madison Square Garden. That was the start of six times in a seven-game stretch when he scored at least 20 points, with the Tar Heels going 6–1 during that stretch.
He started 11 consecutive games, but came off the bench for the rest of the season after going scoreless in 22 minutes of UNC’s 67–66 home win over Pittsburgh on Feb. 8. He only topped 20 points once the rest of the season (23 in an 88–82 win Feb. 15 at Syracuse) and combined for only 23 points in the last five games.
Jackson expects a different season playing for Pitino.
“Being home, and then Coach Pitino? Legendary,” Jackson said. “He understands the game. He understands what it takes for a player to get to the next level, which is still ultimately the goal. He understands what it takes to win. Coach P — he’ll teach me a lot. I’m gonna learn a lot, and he’s going to let me rock. We’re gonna build something.”
The Red Storm went 31–5 and won the Big East title before losing 75–66 to Arkansas in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
| No. | Class | Player | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | Freshman | Maximo Adams (MAX-ih-mo) | F | 6–7 | 220 |
| 30 | Freshman | Malloy Smith | G | 6–5 | 180 |
| 21 | Freshman | Sayon Keita (SIGH-on KAY-tuh) | C | 7–0 | 205 |
| 5 | Freshman | Kevin Thomas | W | 6–6 | 205 |
| 35 | Sophomore | Cade Bennerman — U | C | 7–0 | 205 |
| 17 | Sophomore | Neo Avdalas — W (NEE-oh ahv-DOLL-lus) | G | 6–9 | 220 |
| 2 | Sophomore | Isaiah Denis | G | 6–4 | 185 |
| 3 | Sophomore | Matt Able — X | G | 6–5 | 200 |
| 22 | Junior | Alexandros Samodurov (Alex-ANN-drose SAH-muh-DUHR-off) | C | 6–11 | 225 |
| 1 | Senior | Terrence Brown — Y | G | 6–3 | 180 |
| 4 | Senior | Jaydon Young (JAY-din) | G | 6–4 | 200 |
| 15 | Senior | Jarin Stevenson (JARE-in) | F | 6–10 | 220 |
| 14 | Graduate | Angelo Brizzi — Z (BRIZZ-ee) | G | 6–3 | 200 |
| 54 | Graduate | Cameron Fens — V (Fenz) | C | 7–0 | 255 |
| Walk-ons | |||||
| 99 | Junior | John Holbrook — SA | F | 6–8 | 230 |
| 32 | Senior | Evan Smith | G | 6–1 | 200 |
V — South Dakota transfer; U — Northwestern transfer; W — Virginia Tech transfer; X — N.C. State transfer; Y — Utah transfer; Z — Buffalo transfer; SA — Holbrook is a designated student-athlete, so he doesn’t count against UNC’s 15-player limit.
Coach Michael Malone’s coaching staff — Associate head coach Chuck Martin; assistant coaches Bryan Tibaldi (tih-BALL-dee), Sean May, Jorge Sanz (HOR-hey sahnth), Pat Sullivan and Brandon Robinson; Director of player development Deon Thompson.
Players who entered transfer portal
| Player | Class next season | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt | Next school |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luka Bogavac | Senior | W | 6–6 | 215 | Oklahoma State |
| James Brown | Senior | C | 6–10 | 240 | Howard |
| Derek Dixon | Sophomore | G | 6–5 | 200 | Arizona |
| Kyan Evans | Senior | G | 6–2 | 175 | Minnesota |
| Zayden High | Junior | C | 6–10 | 230 | South Florida |
| Jonathan Powell | Junior | G | 6–6 | 190 | Pittsburgh |
| Ivan Matlekovic | Junior | C | 7–0 | 255 | Pacific |
UNC schedule
| Date | Month/day | Opponent/event (final ranks) |
|---|---|---|
| October | Exhibitions | |
| 9 | 7 p.m. Friday | vs. USC in Greensboro |
| 18 | 5 p.m. Sunday | vs. Indiana in Indianapolis |
| 27 | Tuesday | vs. Charlotte |
| November | Regular season | |
| 2 | Monday | vs. Western Carolina |
| 6 | Friday | vs. Wofford |
| 10 | Tuesday | vs. Wyoming |
| 13 | Friday | vs. Georgia |
| 20 | Friday | vs. Marshall |
| 23 | Monday | vs. Monmouth |
| 27 | Friday | Dick Vitale Invitational vs. West Virginia in Charlotte |
| December | ||
| 1 | Tuesday | ACC/SEC Challenge vs. No. 13 Arkansas |
| 6 | Sunday | vs. Butler |
| 12 | Saturday | at Georgetown |
| 15 | Tuesday | Tobacco Road Classic vs. N.C. State in Greensboro |
| 19 | 2:30 Saturday, CBS | CBS Sports Classic vs. Kentucky in New York |
| 21 | Monday | vs. The Citadel |
| 30 | Wednesday | vs. California |
| January | ||
| 2 | Saturday | at Boston College |
| 5 | Tuesday | at Louisville |
| 9 | Saturday | vs. N.C. State |
| 13 | Wednesday | at Florida State |
| 16 | Saturday | vs. Stanford |
| 19 | Tuesday | vs. No. 17 Virginia |
| 23 | Saturday | at Syracuse |
| 26 | Tuesday | vs. SMU |
| 30 | Saturday | Nashville Hoops Showdown vs. No. 5 Illinois in Nashville, Tenn. |
| February | ||
| 2 | Tuesday | at Notre Dame |
| 6 | Saturday | vs. Georgia Tech |
| 8 | Monday | vs. Louisville |
| 13 | Saturday | at No. 4 Duke |
| 20 | Saturday | at Wake Forest |
| 22 | Monday | vs. No. 24 Miami |
| 27 | Saturday | at Virginia Tech |
| March | ||
| 2 | Tuesday | at Pittsburgh |
| 6 | Saturday | vs. No. 4 Duke |
| 9–13 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament in Greensboro |
Photo via @UNC_Basketball
