The former McDonald’s All-American will get to prove he deserves to stay in the starting five
When Ian Jackson transferred from North Carolina to St. John’s, many didn’t expect Jackson to begin his Red Storm career cutting his teeth off the bench. Although the New York native hasn’t already lived up to the moniker of being the program’s “next great point guard” as head coach Rick Pitino tweeted this offseason, Jackson will get his best chance to start making good on Pitino’s preseason proclamation this weekend.
Head coach Rick Pitino announced during Thursday’s media availability that Ian Jackson will be in the starting lineup for the first time since opening night when St. John’s faces Iona on Saturday afternoon. Other starters will be Oziyah Sellers, Joson Sanon, Bryce Hopkins, and Zuby Ejiofor. Dylan Darling will come off the bench after he replaced Jackson as the starting point guard for the last seven games.
Pitino explained he decided to start Jackson after noticing his improvement in assists, turnovers, and defense, stating he is “80 percent of the way” to reaching the level he wants Jackson to hit. The Red Storm head coach also compared Jackson’s growth to Daniss Jenkins, who started out slowly as a senior at St. John’s before hitting his stride in the second half.
“He’s starting because of the improvement he’s made, but it takes time,” Pitino said on Thursday, “[Daniss Jenkins] was behind Ian [Jackson] because he had very little point guard skills, and it took a good three or four months before he learned how to play the game the right way.”
Jackson is averaging 11.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game, shooting 47.1% from the field, 35.3% from three, and 81.3% from the free throw line, and scored in double-figures in four of his eight games played.
In spite of a frigid 2-of-11 shooting performance against Ole Miss, Jackson actually stated he is beginning to feel more at ease with his new team and his role.
“I’m getting more comfortable as the days go on, and that starts in practice,” Jackson said on Thursday, “Against Ole Miss, I felt way more comfortable than I did before, even though the shots didn’t fall.”
Jackson and the Red Storm will take on the Iona Gaels (8-3, 1-1 MAAC) on Saturday, December 13. Tip-off from Madison Square Garden is scheduled for 12 p.m., and the game can be watched on TNT and HBO Max.
Category: General Sports
