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What exactly burst Ian Jackson’s bubble?
As the season went on, Jackson became more of an enigma. His athleticism and talent were evident, but he somehow wasn’t the great basketball player his 5-star status promised.
The 6-foot-4 prep star from Brooklyn averaged 24 minutes as a freshman but only started 12 of the 36 games in which he appeared for the Tar Heels. He averaged 12 points a game (second behind only 17 by R.J. Davis) and had a higher shooting percentage from both the floor and 3-point line than any other perimeter player on the team.
And while he took a while to get the feel of team offense and man-to-man defense, Jackson had the hottest stretch of the season when he averaged double figures through the middle of the schedule before returning to the bench when Hubert Davis settled on a bigger lineup.
From there, the speculation on Jackson’s future increased to the point when his entering the transfer portal after the season ended was little or no surprise. He could also still enter his name into the NBA draft and be evaluated by pro coaches and scouts about his future.
His biggest liability was on defense, where losing his man down the lane and on the baseline gave up too many easy baskets. And when Jackson wasn’t in the flow of Carolina’s running game his shooting percentage fell off along with not playing more than 20 minutes over the last six games.
Fellow freshman Drake Powell moved to small forward when Jae’Lyn Withers became the starter at power forward. And Powell was among the Tar Heels’ best players during the six-game ACC winning streak and conference tournament.
A big difference between Jackson and Powell is where they grew up and the wider influence family and friends and agents from New York might have had on him than Powell’s Tar Heel family in Pittsboro. And as the 2025-26 roster comes together, the 6-6 Powell’s position is more set in stone if he decides to remain in school for his sophomore season.
Jackson came to Chapel Hill with a bigger rep than Powell and when his minutes and output varied, social media began the debate of how long he would stay in Chapel Hill. The chatter kept up through the end of the season and it was expected when Jackson portaled.
The most moneyed school being mentioned for Jackson’s next landing spot is St. John’s, where Rick Pitino has rebuilt the Red Storm with more transfers than freshmen and says he plans to continue that strategy.
Other suitors appear to be Arkansas and new coach John Calipari, who recruited Jackson hard before he left Kentucky. Another school that has been mentioned is UConn, where Danny Hurley will be looking for better athletes than he rolled out this past season.
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Featured image via Todd Melet
Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to WCHL for decades, having made his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs daily on the 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Art’s Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro.Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
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