St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino has landed his guard in North Carolina transfer Ian Jackson, the team announced Monday.
The sophomore was named to the All-ACC Freshman team a season ago, averaging 11.9 points and 2.7 rebounds. Jackson shot 39.5% from behind the arc, as Pitino continues to add 3-point shooters.
The Bronx native returns to the Big Apple after spending just one season in Chapel Hill, N.C.
“We had big shoes to fill at the point [guard position],” Pitino said. “Kadary [Richmond] and Deivon [Smith] were awesome. The ball is now in the hands of our next great point [guard]. Let’s go Ian!”
Jackson is a 6-foot-4 floor general who turned down offers from USC, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas State, NC State, Arkansas, and Kentucky to join the stacked transfer class that the Johnnies have brought in this Spring.
“He feels like Rick Pitino can get him better and get him where he needs to be for the next level,” Jackson’s advisor, Mugsy Leggett, told Zach Braziller of the New York Post. “I think it’s a good move for him. He needs that push and Rick Pitino is going to push him.”
The 20-year-old joins Arizona’s Joson Sanon and Stanford’s Oziyah Sellers, two guards who shoot the three-ball at an efficient clip. This trio will play alongside Bryce Hopkins, the forward from Providence who transferred to Jamaica, Queens on April 1.
St. John’s did a lot of things well a season ago, earning themselves the best season they’ve had since 2000. Pitino’s squad smothered and suffocated offenses, dominated on the glass, were in the top 10 in forced turnovers per game, and created scoring opportunities in transition.
In addition to that, they earned themselves the No. 2 seed of the West Region of the NCAA Tournament. The Red Storm also had the coaching advantage in just about every game they played.
Pitino addressed his team’s biggest issue in shooting the three-ball. He landed three elite 3-point scorers to play alongside the foundation he’s built, headlined by Zuby Ejiofor.
According to Braziller, St. John’s is still very much in the mix for Cincinnati forward Dillon Mitchell and could add two more guards, but at least one. Pitino and Co. continue to bolster their roster with scorers, and they’re just getting started.
