The St. John’s basketball team was walking off the floor following its dominant 79-53 victory over Northern Iowa in the Round of 64 of the NCAA Tournament and its players and coaches were saluting the Red Storm fans that made the cross-country trip to San Diego.
It’s superstar, Zuby Ejiofor, was being pulled to do his postgame interview with Westwood One but he stopped and grabbed sophomore guard Ian Jackson to have an extended conversation.
The message was to keep his head up because the Johnnies are going to need him to come up big at some point in this tournament.
“I was just trying to pick up my teammate,” Ejiofor said of the interaction following the victory. “I seen he was a little bit down.”
“I was telling him that I need him to be aggressive. Obviously, he’s a tremendous player, even better person, so we’re definitely going to need him in this tournament. We’re going to need his offensive skills, and I was telling him to not worry about the noise, just go out there, have fun, smile, and play your game. “
Jackson finished with nine points in nine minutes, making 3-of-5 shots from the floor, 1-of-2 from 3-point range, and both free throw attempts. He only played two minutes in the first half and four of his points came within the closing two minutes after the outcome of the game had been decided.
“Zuby, all the guys, they are my big brothers,” Jackson explained. “He told me, ‘Yo, we’re going to need you.’ The first half wasn’t the best first half but the second half, he said that’s the Ian we need through both halves.”
The win pushed Ian Jackson into unknown waters in the NCAA Tournament after he was eliminated in the Round of 64, following a win in the First Four, last season with North Carolina.
In the last week, Jackson has experienced the peaks and valleys of the postseason. He shined in the Red Storm’s opening victory over Providence in the Big East Tournament and had improved showings against Seton Hall and UConn despite a limited stat line.
Now, he will be poised to make an impact on the big stage for the Johnnies as its matchup on Sunday afternoon (5:15 p.m. ET, CBS) against No. 4 seed Kansas could feature a heavy dose of Jackson against the big, athletic, and talented guards of the Jayhawks.
“Super [important],” Jackson added about having that moment walking off the floor with Ejiofor.
“Especially coming from Zuby, our captain who’s like a super decorated player, just to hear him and know that my teammates are with me, it’s just super important.”