Jackson Joins Johnnies, NYC Native Comes Home

Provided by St. John's.

The remodeling of the St. John's Red Storm men's basketball roster took another big leap on Monday, as the team announced that they signed one of the top prospects in the transfer portal.

Ian Jackson is a Bronx native who played last season for the North Carolina Tar Heels, where the point guard earned a spot on the All-ACC Freshman Team. 

Last season, Jackson averaged 11.9 points per game, while shooting 45.6 percent overall, and 39.5 percent on three-pointers. He ranked second in the nation among freshman in transition points, behind only Tre Johnson of Texas.

Jackson was ranked No. 7 overall in the transfer portal, according to 247Sports.

St. John's Head Coach Rick Pitino said in a statement, "We had big shoes to fill at the point. Kadary (Richmond) and Deivon (Smith) were awesome. The ball is now in the hands of our next great point. Let's go Ian!"

Jackson had eight games in which he put up at least 20 points last season, and he made a name for himself when he had four of those games during the holiday season. He became the first North Carolina freshman to score 23-or-more points in four straight games, and that earned him honors as the U.S. Basketball Writers' Association Freshman of the Week in that run.

One of the most appealing things about Jackson to a St. John's team that struggled from long range last season was that 39.6 shooting percentage from behind the arc, as he buried 60 three-pointers last season. He hit a three in 30 out of 36 games, and made three-or-more nine times. Jackson was the only Tar Heel to make five three-pointers in three straight games, all of which were on the road in ACC play. 

Jackson was a top-ten prospect coming out of Our Saviour Lutheran in The Bronx, after a 2023-24 senior season in which he averaged 23.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.6 steals per game.