Jackson wanted to fast track his path to the NBA. The Tar Heels didn't fit into his plan.
Last month, G.G. Jackson boldly predicted to Sports Illustrated that his commitment to North Carolina would be the first domino in a string of one-and-done talent headed to play for Hubert Davis.
If his theory is to hold true, the Tar Heels are going to need another domino to drop to start the momentum.
On Thursday night, Jackson announced his decommitment from North Carolina on his social media platforms. Jackson said he wanted “to explore other options that can help me grow from a teenage boy to an adult and to put me in the best position to reach my dream goal which is the NBA.” Jackson had been committed to North Carolina since April 27.
A source close to Jackson's camp told SI that Jackson was "very upset" by the backlash from North Carolina fans last night, so much so the family ultimately decided to turn off the comments under his social media posts.
The whispers regarding the imminence of his decommitment have been deafening on the backchannels for nearly a month.
The general belief behind the move is that Jackson wanted to expedite his entrance into the NBA. Sources tell SI that Jackson is all set to reclassify from 2023 to 2022 and plans to enroll and play for a team this fall.
Courtesy of Nike
North Carolina is fresh out of scholarships after signing top transfer Pete Nance, but South Carolina has two open scholarships. The Gamecocks, widely regarded as the runner-up in Jackson’s recruitment, are the perceived landing spot for the 6'8'' forward this fall.
Multiple sources tell SI that Jackson will also hear pitches for pro options, but the prevailing belief is that he’ll land at home in Columbia, S.C., next season. That would gift new head coach Lamont Paris the highest-ranked recruit in the history of the program, and his best chance to lead the Gamecocks back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2017.
If this were football recruiting, Jackson’s social media post wouldn’t be big news, but in basketball recruiting the infamous flip is rare. Not since the late 1950s, when Art Heyman backed out of his letter of intent to North Carolina to suit up for the Tar Heels’ sworn enemy Duke, has North Carolina lost out on such a high-profile recruit after securing a commitment. In 2003, J.R. Smith committed to North Carolina only to enter the NBA Draft the following summer, when he was picked No. 18 overall by the New Orleans Hornets.
Jackson wants to take a similar path, but the NBA changed its age limit from 18 to 19 years old in 2005 and said players must be one year removed from high school in order to declare thus setting the stage for Thursday’s post.
This past season, Jackson averaged 22.9 points and 10.9 rebounds at Ridge View (Columbia, S.C.) and was named MVP of the uber-prestigious NBPA Top 100 Camp earlier this month. Last month, Jackson went No. 4 overall in SI’s all-high school NBA mock draft. Jackson’s size and length coupled with his impressively mixed bag offensively and relentless motor fit the NBA style to the letter.
As arguably the top prospect in the class, Jackson backing out on the reigning national runner-up will have implications on the recruiting trail for North Carolina, mostly from a perception standpoint. The consolation for Tar Heels fans is that this year’s team is the proverbial favorite to cut the nets down in Houston next year, checking in at No. 1 in SI’s early preseason rankings. As it stands, the Tar Heels still have elite shooting guard Simeon Wilcher in the fold for 2023.
Expect Jackson to accelerate an announcement on his next move shortly after the conclusion of the second July live period, which runs from July 20-24. All eyes will be on his scheduled run with Team CP3 (N.C.) at the Nike Peach Jam, which runs from July 17-24.
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