BY ALEJANDRO LOPEZ & ADAM ZAGORIA
St. John’s has found the star guard it was looking for in the transfer portal.
North Carolina transfer and former McDonald’s All-American Ian Jackson will play for the Red Storm next season, he announced Monday.
“Ian is a tremendous competitor and one of the most coachable players I have ever been around,” Cardinal Hayes coach Joe Lods, Jackson’s former high school coach, told ZAGSBLOG. “He has a tireless work ethic and he is extremely passionate about the game. He is a great addition to the program.”
Lods added that he believes Jackson can play the point at St. John’s after being a shooting guard for much of his career.
“He was always a great teammate and a willing passer,” Lods said. “I’m sure he can do it. And Coach Pitino can teach him!!”
The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 11.9 points, 2.7 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game in his freshman season at UNC.
The former 5-star recruit was a top-5 player amongst those still available in the transfer portal. The Bronx native was the second leading scorer on UNC as a freshman, trailing only fellow New York guard RJ Davis, and will bring tremendous athleticism and versatility to St. John’s.
He is a projected second-round NBA pick this year, but opted to transfer and develop under Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino.
“We had big shoes to fill at the point [guard position],” said 2024-25 National Coach of the Year Rick Pitino. “Kadary [Richmond] and Deivon [Smith] were awesome. The ball is now in the hands of our next great point [guard]. Let’s go Ian!”
Pitino’s team dominated the BIG EAST this season, winning the conference regular season title with an 18-2 record and the BIG EAST Tournament championship. St. John’s is also adding Stanford transfer Oziyah Sellers Jr, Providence transfer Bryce Hopkins and Arizona State transfer Joson Sanon. “St. John’s has the best starting five in the Big East,” one NBA executive said. “I’m not sure anyone in the Big East can guard Ian Jackson.” Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram Like ZAGS on Facebook Follow Alejandro Lopez on TwitterIan Jackson is a projected early 2nd-round pick so his new school will be getting a projected pro for his sophomore season
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) April 21, 2025
Via @NoCeilingsNBA pic.twitter.com/4lcoktrqLn
