Ian Jackson is one of three St. John’s basketball players that have remained on the team from last season, and his choice could have been much different.
In an attempt to transition to point guard, Jackson struggled to find consistency in Rick Pitino’s scheme. At times, he looked lost on the court and found himself on the bench for the majority of big games.
When there were glimpses of brilliance, he would commit a head scratching turnover or allow the opponent an easy look at the basket.
It felt like a forgone conclusion that the Bronx native would hit the transfer portal at the end of the season, but he felt his trajectory start to turn towards the end of the year and he was developing into a more complete player.
It ultimately led to Ian Jackson returning to the Johnnies for another season as he will immediately step into a leadership role with the team with so many of its players moving on to the next stage of their careers.
Still, it is not lost on Jackson’s former teammates about the decision he made.
“I gained a lot of respect for Ian,” Dillon Mitchell told Storm The Paint at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago on Wednesday.
“I already had respect for Ian, that’s one of my boys, but sticking to the process, I’m sure he feels like he had a tough season this past year and I’m sure he might have had people in his ear telling him different things and telling him to get out of [St. John’s]. But the way he locked in on trusting Coach P, he’s going to see growth from it, he’s going to see success from it. I’m very happy for him that he stayed.”
Jackson averaged 9.4 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game this season on 40.9-percent shooting and 34.3-percent from 3-point range, all of which – except his assists – were down from his freshman season at North Carolina.
“He’s a guy that didn’t shy away from adversity,” Zuby Ejiofor exclusively told Storm The Paint about his former teammate.
“The year didn’t go exactly as planned but he trusted the work he put in. He had a great conversation with Coach Pitino and he’s back again. I feel like that’s a great move for him. I’m really excited for him. I feel like he’s definitely capable of all-league, and even a potential Big East Player of the Year type of year. He’s putting in the work, as I’ve been told, he’s been getting stronger in the gym as well.”
Players typically experience a sizeable boost in production with their second season under Pitino and Ejiofor can be used as the perfect example. He came to St. John’s as an unheralded transfer from Kansas and spent his first season in Queens as backup to Joel Soriano before bursting on the scene the last two years as one of the best players in the country.
With British point guard Quinn Ellis and Columbia transfer Avery Brown added to the roster, Ian Jackson will be able to play his natural position of shooting guard this upcoming season.
Bryce Hopkins, who also went through a learning curve under Rick Pitino this season, knows what Jackson went through and thinks he will emerge better as a player for it.
“I think it shows his character,” he said about Jackson’s decision to remain with the Johnnies.
“He’s motivated to be better and I’m super, super proud of him, all the stuff that he did go through this year – the ups and downs of it – not getting as much [playing] time as he may have wanted. Him sticking to the plan that Coach Pitino has for him, fighting through all the adversity, it’s only going to make him tougher going into next season. I know he’s going to crush it next year.”
St. John’s will be relying on Ian Jackson to have a bounce back season, and his former teammates are confident he is capable of it. Now, he will look to prove why so many had him as a highly touted player during his high school career and in the transfer portal a season ago.
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