Frank Martin, UMass offer UNC target GG Jackson

UMass head coach Frank Martin have officially offered UNC basketball recruiting target G.G. Jackson.

There’s a new team but a familiar face that is trying to get into the race for prized five-star recruit [autotag]G.G. Jackson[/autotag].

Just a few weeks after being fired from South Carolina, Frank Martin took the head coaching job at UMass. And now he’s hoping to pull off a miracle and land Jackson. Martin and the program officially offered Jackson on Saturday morning, a day after the recruit hinted that he is likely committing to a program very soon.

Now, UMASS offering is a bit interesting. It’s no secret that Martin and Jackson had a strong relationship and there were strong rumors that the recruit may have even silently committed to South Carolina before Martin retired.

Many still believe this is a battle between the two blue bloods in UNC and Duke that is going to come down to the wire. UNC was the strong leader at one point but visits to Duke and South Carolina closed the gap for both of those programs.

Still, UNC appears to be in really good shape for this announcement that is likely coming soon.

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South Carolina still pushing for UNC target G.G. Jackson

The South Carolina Gamecocks could still be involved for UNC Basketball’s top recruiting target in the 2024 cycle.

The recruitment of five-star power forward [autotag]G.G. Jackson[/autotag] might be nearing an end soon and while many believe it’s a blue blood battle between UNC and Duke, South Carolina appears to be making one final push.

After firing Frank Martin and hiring Lamont Paris, the head coach visited Jackson’s high school on Monday to meet with the prospect. Paris is hoping to leave a good enough impression that Jackson will still consider the Gamecocks with a potential decision looming. And according to The State.com, the visit went well despite Paris and his new staff playing from behind in this recruitment:

“It went really well,” outgoing Ridge View basketball coach Yerrick Stoneman said on SportsTalk Radio show with Phil Kornblut. “Coach Paris is an amazing person. I think he is going to be similar to coach (Shane) Beamer. And the community is going to get behind him, want to be around him just because of his personality…. They are a little behind and he knows he is really behind, but they are really working hard to build that relationship between the Jacksons and himself.”

The meeting was a good first step, Stoneman told The State, as Paris laid out his vision for the program and how Jackson could fit in it. Jackson’s mother couldn’t make the meeting because of work, and another meeting could follow.

South Carolina could get another visit if the NCAA allows it thanks to Paris being a new head coach. But would it be enough to sway his decision?

Right now, it’s believed to be a two-team race between the Tar Heels and Blue Devils heading into their Final Four showdown this weekend. And depending on who you ask, both teams are the favorites.

Buckle up, because this recruitment is coming down to the wire.

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Top UNC basketball recruiting target close to a decision

The UNC Basketball program will soon find out their fate in the race for a big five-star recruiting target after the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

Hubert Davis and his North Carolina Tar Heels are focused on one thing right now, getting to the Final Four.  But ahead of their matchup with Saint Peter’s on Sunday afternoon, some news regarding a big recruiting target emerged.

Rivals.com’s Rob Cassidy wrote about five-star power forward [autotag]G.G. Jackson[/autotag] on Sunday morning, talking about his recruitment and what we should expect here in the coming weeks. And in the article, Cassidy writes that Jackson is close to a decision and it should come after the 2022 NCAA Tournament is completed within the next two weeks.

Jackson also spoke on his communication with Hubert Davis and the Tar Heels recently:

“I texted with [North Carolina head coach Hubert] Davis before they played the UCLA game and gave him my opinion on what that game was going to be like and all that,” Jackson said. “It’s always all love with him and all love around there. I liked watching them. They don’t play as many guys as other programs do, so this [tournament run] surprised me a little. Obviously Coach Hubert knows what he’s doing, though. It seems like all the coaches and the players are always on the same page.”

For the longest time Jackson appeared to be a lock to UNC as the Tar Heels picked up crystal ball predictions for him. However, with South Carolina out of the mix after firing Frank Jackson, things may have swung in favor of the Blue Devils instead.

Duke picked up two crystal ball predictions from writers on 247Sports’ The Devils Den but both with low confidence. Both teams do believe they are the frontrunners and with Jackson keeping his decision very private, it’s anyone’s guess at this point.

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