John Calipari watched UK’s top 2024 recruit in person. What did Ian Jackson show him?
Conducting in-person recruiting visits during the thick of the college basketball season is an indicator of significant interest between a program and player.
Over the last few weeks, Kentucky men’s basketball has made an in-person visit to each of its five class of 2023 signees, a gesture that might seem symbolic, but that also shows the Wildcats’ desire to keep that star-studded recruiting class together.
But with a relatively light on-court schedule for this season’s Wildcats in recent weeks (just two games from Dec. 5 to Dec. 20), UK head coach John Calipari has also found time to visit his top recruits in the class of 2024.
Headlining this list is Ian Jackson, a shooting guard from New York City who is ranked as the No. 2 player in the class of 2024 by the 247Sports Composite.
Jackson spent his first junior-year visit on a trip to Kentucky for Big Blue Madness in October, and less than two weeks ago, Calipari returned the favor.
Both Calipari and Kentucky associate coach Orlando Antigua stayed behind in New York following UK’s loss to UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic on Dec. 17 to watch Jackson play the following day at his high school in the Bronx.
From a team standpoint, the result was underwhelming.
Jackson and his Cardinal Hayes High School team — the same school that counts UK legend Jamal Mashburn as an alum — lost by 30 points to Christ The King Regional, a team led by class of 2023 UCLA signee forward Brandon Williams.
But on an individual level, Jackson still did plenty of things that surely impressed Antigua, Calipari and the slew of other college coaches vying for his commitment.
Jackson scored 22 of Cardinal Hayes’ 48 points, using an impressive array of offensive moves to reach that scoring total.
“The physical profile just stands out: long arms, has big broad shoulder length,” said Ani Umana, the director of 5-State Hoop Report, who was at the game. “He was really comfortable playing on and off the ball, creating with the handle, able to get space and score, really get to the rim. I liked that he was utilizing his teammates and finding them for open shots.”
What were some of the other takeaways Umana had after watching Jackson play in person?
“Just his ability to score, primarily by getting wherever he wants and by using his athleticism in the open court to finish,” Umana said. “Just a dynamic guard that can score, athletic, very willing to rebound. He just has all the tools to become a big-time player at the next level.”
What about Jackson’s defensive ability?
“I think defensively he’s a solid on-ball defender. I think he’s a good team defender,” Umana said. “I saw him really read and intercept passes, getting to the help. He got a lot of pass deflections, especially in the first half … . For me, I saw a lot more impact as a team defender.”
Ian Jackson recruitment update
Jackson has already taken three visits during his junior year:
▪ Kentucky on Oct. 14.
▪ Oregon on Oct. 27.
▪ LSU on Nov. 4.
Jackson is set to visit North Carolina on Jan. 6, just one day before UNC plays a home game against Notre Dame.
Earlier this month, Jackson told On3’s Joe Tipton that he would have a college decision soon.
“I kind of want to get it out of the way,” Jackson told Tipton. “Right now I’m enjoying the process, but soon I’ll make a decision.”
Jackson has also long been seen as a potential reclassification candidate from the class of 2024 to the class of 2023, which could complicate things for Kentucky given the five-player recruiting class for 2023 that have all already signed with the Wildcats.
In August, Jackson told the Herald-Leader he wasn’t sure yet about reclassifying from 2024 to 2023. That remains his stance now.
“I don’t want to rush into a situation and then mess up everything, so I feel like if it’s a good move for me I’ll do it,” Jackson said in August. “If it’s not, then I’ll stay in the class (of 2024). But that’s something I’ve thought about. I’m not sure yet.”
