Last month, G.G. Jackson boldly predicted to Sports Illustrated that his commitment to North Carolina would be the first domino in a series of one-and-done talents to play for Hubert Davis.
If his theory is to hold true, Tar Heels needs another domino to escape to start momentum.
On Thursday night, Jackson announced that he had withdrawn from North Carolina on his social media platforms. Jackson said he would “explore other options that can help me grow from a teenage boy to an adult and put me in the best position to reach my dream goal, which is the NBA.” Jackson had been committed to North Carolina since April 27th.
A source close to Jackson’s camp told SI that Jackson was “very upset” over the setback from North Carolina fans last night, so much so that the family eventually decided to turn off the comments during his post on social media.
The whisper of the imminent release of him has been deafening on the back channels for almost a month.
The general belief behind the move is that Jackson wanted to speed up his entry into the NBA. Sources tell SI that Jackson is ready to reclassify from 2023 to 2022 and plans to sign up and play for a team this fall.
Jackson is without a doubt the best customer in the 2023 class.
North Carolina is fresh out of scholarships after signing top transfer Pete Nance, but South Carolina has two open scholarships. Gamecocks, widely considered to be second in Jackson’s recruitment, is the perceived landing site for the 6’8 ” striker this fall.
Several sources tell SI that Jackson will also hear pitches for pro opportunities, but the prevailing belief is that he will land at home in Columbia, S.C. next season. That would give new head coach Lamont Paris the highest-ranked recruit in the program’s history and his best chance to lead the Gamecocks back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017.
If this was football recruitment, Jackson’s posts on social media would not be big news, but in basketball recruitment, the infamous flip is rare. Not since the late 1950s, when Art Heyman withdrew from his declaration of intent to North Carolina to take care of Tar Heels’ sworn enemy Duke, has North Carolina lost on such a high-profile recruit after securing a commitment . In 2003, J.R. Smith traveled to North Carolina only to participate in the NBA Draft the following summer, when he was selected No. 18 overall by the New Orleans Hornets.
Jackson wants to go a similar route, but the NBA changed its age limit from 18 to 19 years old in 2005, saying players must be one year removed from high school to declare that they are thus setting the stage for Thursday’s post.
This past season, Jackson averaged 22.9 points and 10.9 rebounds in Ridge View (Columbia, S.C.) and was named MVP for the uber-prestigious NBPA Top 100 Camp earlier this month. Last month, Jackson was ranked No. 4 in SI’s all-high school NBA mock draft. Jackson’s size and length combined with his impressive mixed bag, offensive and relentless engine, fit the NBA style to the letter.
As arguably the best prospect in the class, Jackson, backed out of the reigning national runner-up, will have repercussions for the North Carolina recruiting trail, mostly from a perceptual standpoint. The consolation for Tar Heels fans is that this year’s team is the legendary favorite to cut the nets down in Houston next year, checking in as No. 1 in SI’s early preseason rankings. As it turns out, Tar Heels still has elite shooter Simeon Wilcher in the fold in 2023.
Expect Jackson to announce an announcement of his next move shortly after the end of the second July live period, which runs from 20-24. July. All eyes will be on his planned run with Team CP3 (N.C.) at the Nike Peach Jam, which runs from 17-24. July.
