Tag: Ian Jackson

Jonas Aidoo to UNC would mean more than just basketball

Come home, Jonas Aidoo!

After swinging and missing on transfer portal centers Oumar Ballo and Danny Wolf, the North Carolina Tar Heels are running out of experienced options to bring into Chapel Hill.

One possibility is Rutgers center Cliff Omoruyi, who plans to visit UNC on Thursday, May 2. If Omoruyi picks North Carolina, I imagine he’d start immediately, as he’s a 6’11” tower who’s averaged double-digit point totals over each of the last three seasons.

Another possibility – the player I personally like the most – is Tennessee center Jonas Aidoo. In his first season as a full-time starter, Aidoo averaged 11.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.

But that’s not why Aidoo should come to North Carolina.

Dating back to his high school basketball days, Aidoo is actually a native of the Tar Heel State. He played his junior and senior seasons of high school basketball at Voyager Academy in Durham, before transferring to the Liberty Heights Athletic Institute in Charlotte.

You can’t beat the prospects of playing college basketball 30 minutes from where you grew up. Aidoo wouldn’t just be playing for any college basketball program – he’d be playing for the ACC’s best.

UNC has one of the most attractive rosters in college basketball next year, highlighted by a projected return from reigning ACC Player of Year RJ Davis. Guards Elliot Cadeau and Seth Trimble also come back, plus 5-star All-Americans Drake Powell and Ian Jackson enter the mix.

Jonas Aidoo – if you’re reading this, it’s your sign to come to Chapel Hill!

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UNC basketball earns Top-3 ranking in John Fanta’s second Way-Too-Early Top 25

Can the North Carolina Tar Heels live up to their preseason rankings this time?

Will Harrison Ingram withdraw his name from the NBA Draft? Will reigning ACC Player of the Year RJ Davis return to Chapel Hill for a fifth year?

Those are the top two questions surrounding the UNC men’s basketball program right now, which is expected to be another dangerous team in the 2024-2025 campaign.

Even if Ingram and Davis don’t return, North Carolina will be just fine. They bring in 5-star McDonalds All-Americans in Ian Jackson and Drake Powell, a 4-star center in James Brown, plus return key bench contributors in Seth Trimble and Jalen Washington.

The mission remains the same: a seventh National Championship.

In FOX Sports’ John Fanta’s second installation of his Way-Too-Early Top 25, the Tar Heels come in at third.

With Hunter Dickinson announcing his return for a fifth year, there’s no surprise Kansas is ranked number one. UConn will likely see Tristen Newton, Cam Spencer, Donovan Clingen and Stephon Castle leave, so that second overall ranking remains in questions.

While UNC is very deserving of its ranking, as few other teams return players of Davis and Dickinson’s caliber, these are simply just preseason rankings. We all know what happened in the 2022-2023 campaign (don’t remind us).

Oh – there’s also a strong possibility the Tar Heels could add a couple players in the transfer portal. Former Tennessee big man Jonas Aidoo and former Rutgers center Cliff Omoruyi are the two UNC portal targets to watch right now.

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Could Seth Trimble’s return spell a positive domino effect for UNC?

Guess who’s back…back again?

There was a collective sigh of disappointment two weeks ago in Chapel Hill, when UNC basketball guard Seth Trimble decided to enter the transfer portal.

Trimble, one of North Carolina’s best defensive players, could get more playing time elsewhere. Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis made a questionable decision to not play him much in the second half of UNC’s Sweet 16 loss to Alabama, leading to speculation Trimble’s time in Chapel Hill was coming to an end.

Two weeks after Trimble announced his decision to transfer, Tar Heel Nation breathed a collective sigh of relief, as Trimble withdrew himself from the transfer portal and announced his decision in returning to Chapel Hill.

Trimble’s news of returning might not be the only return either as CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander tweeted:

Having RJ Davis, the reigning ACC Player of the Year and a 2023-2024 Wooden Award Finalist, return to UNC would be arguably the biggest roster plus entering the coming season. He, Trimble and Elliot Cadeau would form an experienced guard trio that not many other teams can say they have.

Not to mention, North Carolina also welcomes 5-stars Ian Jackson and Drake Powell (guard/forward) to the roster next year. Those are talented guards 1-5, who could all start if Hubert Davis wanted to roll with a small lineup at times.

I have a strong feeling that since Trimble is returning, Davis will be highly encouraged to play him more.

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Cooper Flagg tells UNC commits Tar Heels wont sweep Duke next season

Duke basketball recruit Cooper Flagg is getting the trash talking started early saying the Tar Heels won’t sweep the Blue Devils next season.

With both teams out of the NCAA Tournament and watching the Final Four from home, the focus now shifts to the offseason for both North Carolina and Duke. And it will be an interesting one to say the least.

While both teams will have departures and arrivals, the recruiting classes coming in are both very strong. Duke has the top class in the country coming in headlined by the top player, Cooper Flagg. But North Carolina’s class is No. 8 with five-star recruits Ian Jackson and Drake Powell.

Before the two teams meet next season, the trash talk was already flowing at the McDonald’s All-American Game. During the festivities of the game in Houston, Complex Sports caught up with Duke recruits Flagg and Isaiah Evans as well as UNC commits Jackson and Powell to talk the UNC-Duke rivalry. And Flagg made sure to let the Tar Heels know his prediction that they won’t be sweeping Duke again next season.

After Jackson told the Duke recruits it would be another ‘2-0 sweep’, Flagg responded.

“It can’t happen. Like we were in the crowd. Like we’ve seen it happen. It’s not happening again,” Flagg said. “We’ve witnessed it.”

Jackson quickly took a shot back stating that they watched Cormac Ryan go off on Duke, a game in which he scored a career-high as the Tar Heels completed the regular season sweep.

Flagg did see it upfront and center with Evans. Both were in attendance for the regular season finale in Durham and both got a close look at the Tar Heels sweeping Duke and making Cameron Indoor Stadium real quiet in that second half.

Let’s hope Jackson and Powell can give the Duke duo the same experience next season.

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Ian Jackson and Drake Powell impress at 2024 McDAAG

I can’t wait to watch Ian Jackson and Drake Powell tear up the court in Chapel Hill next year.

It’s going to be a fun season in Chapel Hill next year.

UNC basketball head coach Hubert Davis has proven his strengths again on the recruiting trail, nabbing a pair of 5-stars in Ian Jackson and Drake Powell, the hometown kid who plays high school basketball 20 minutes from campus. Joining the two 5-stars is James Brown, the 4-star center from Chicago, Ill. who plays at Link Academy.

Jackson and Powell received the opportunities of a lifetime this week, as they suited up for the East squad in Tuesday’s McDonalds All-American game. Both UNC signees played with several future opponents, including Duke signees Cooper Flagg and Isaiah Evans.

While Powell did not score in the McDAAG, he provided valuable defense, as evidenced by his four rebounds and two steals. Don’t be fooled – Powell can score, averaging 16.6 points per game across his high school career.

“Along with it being competitive, it is very high energy and everyone is intense,” Powell told 247 Sports’ Eric Bossi on playing with his McDAAG teammates. “We’ve been focusing on sharing the basketball a bit more and playing off of one another.”

Jackson was one of the McDAAG’s offensive stars, scoring 21 points on 9-of-21 shooting. He likely would’ve been the MVP, but East teammate/ Maryland signee Derik Queen (23) and Rutgers signee Dylan Harper (22) barely outscored him.

“It’s been great just getting the opportunity to be here and compete against the players from around the country, who are considered the top players,” Jackson told Bossi on playing with his McDAAG teammates. “It’s competitive and I’ve had fun.”

Expect to see more of the same in Chapel Hill next year, only Powell will be scoring significantly more.

Can we fast-forward to November?

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WATCH: Ian Jackson’s highlights from the McDonalds’ All-American Game

Regardless of who returns to the UNC men’s basketball team next year, Hubert Davis has to find a way to get Ian Jackson minutes. Just watch Jackson’s McDaag highlights.

Tuesday, April 2 was a dream come true for some of the country’s top high school basketball players, as they played in the McDonalds All-American Game in Houston, Texas’ Toyota Center.

Fans might immediately recognize the names Cooper Flagg (top 2024 prospect, committed to Duke) and Boogie Fland (committed to Kentucky), but it was a UNC 5-star who stole the offensive show in the East’s comeback, 88-86 victory.

Ian Jackson, the 6’4″ shooting guard from Bronx, NY, scored 21 points to finish two behind Derik Queen for the East’s point high.

I watched a little bit of the game, seeing just how special Jackson can be in Chapel Hill. Take a look at this highlight compilation of his big night:

https://www.instagram.com/p/C5S9SqigYWn/

Wow. That’s all I can say.

In his highlight clip, Jackson showcases his ability to speed past his opponent and finish. He slammed down a couple of one-handed dunks, caught a pass and finished an impressive standing dunk, plus finished at the rim on a couple layup attempts.

Jackson’s 21 points played a major role in the East’s big comeback. At one point in the second quarter, the Dylan Harper-led West squad was up by double-digits.

Just wait until Jackson dazzles the college circuit in Carolina Blue next year.

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LOOK: UNC basketball recruits play in 2024 McDonald’s All-American Game

UNC basketball recruits Ian Jackson and Drake Powell both competed in the McDonald’s All-American Games in Houston.

With the basketball season wrapping up on the high school and college levels, all-star games for incoming recruits are starting to grab the headlines.

And the biggest one is the McDonald’s All-American Game. The 2024 version for the boys and girls games took place on Tuesday night in Houston, Texas showcasing the top talents in the 2024 classes. For the boy’s game, the North Carolina Tar Heels were represented by five-stars Ian Jackson and Drake Powell in the game.

After falling behind early, the East team completed a comeback and took down the West team 88-86, putting UNC recruits Ian Jackson and Drake Powell on the winning side. Jackson finished the game with 21 points and 2 assists, the second-leading scorer on his team.

Meanwhile, for Powell, he didn’t score a bucket but did have four rebounds and two steals. Let’s take a look at the photos from the two during the game:

Ian Jackson catching eyes of analysts at McDonald’s All-American scrimmage

Ian Jackson is one of the recruits that is earning praise at the McDonald’s All-American Game practices in Houston.

North Carolina commit Ian Jackson is a five-star prospect that is expected to make an immediate impact when he arrives on campus later this Summer.

The 2024 recruit is among the top players in the class and is one of two five-star recruits committed to North Carolina. As Jackson gets set for the annual McDonald’s All-American Game this year in Houston, he’s already catching the eyes of analysts during the week of practices.

The latest to praise Jackson was Rivals.com analyst Rob Cassidy who is covering the week down in Houston. Here is what Cassidy had to say about Jackson so far this week:

Nobody on either team has been more consistently effective than Jackson, who shined in Saturday night’s scrimmage before carrying that momentum into Sunday’s practice, where he once again showed himself to be as versatile an offensive threat as there is in this class. The term “three-level scorer” gets overused in modern basketball but Jackson is the true embodiment of the descriptor, as his quick first step and ability to get to the rim is made even more dangerous when he has it working from deep, which he has for the entirety of McDonald’s week. Once seen as a bit of a raw athlete with developing peripheral skill, the future Tar Heel now looks like a polished offensive threat ready to impact ACC games. Jackson currently sits at No. 9 in the Rivals150 but the week he’s had in Houston may well earn him a bump in the final rankings.

Jackson continues to shine after committing to North Carolina in early 2023, as his stock has been on the rise. He’s a top 10 player in the 2024 class and one of two five stars coming in for UNC.

If he continues to play this well, he could make even more of an impact early on for the Tar Heels.

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Two UNC basketball recruits named to Naismith HS All-America Teams

UNC basketball commits Ian Jackson and Drake Powell earned Naismith HS All-America Team honors.

As North Carolina continues their march towards a national championship run this season, the future is bright in Chapel Hill with the incoming 2024 recruiting class.

The three-man class built by Hubert Davis and the staff is headlined by five-star recruits Drake Powell and Ian Jackson. The two have climbed to five-star status and are both ranked in the top 10.

On Thursday, both recruits were named to the Jersey Mike’s Naismith High School All-American Teams. Both recruits have played really well in their final seasons of high school basketball as they arrive on UNC’s campus this June.

The duo are the first UNC recruits to make the team since Cole Anthony earned first-team recognition in 2019.

Powell and Jackson, along with 2024 commit James Brown, will look to continue the winning ways in Chapel Hill next season. It’s a 2024 class that is ranked right around the top 10 and was once the top class along with Elliot Cadeau before the guard reclassified.

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Ian Jackson picks up big honor in Overtime Elite

UNC basketball commit Ian Jackson has earned first team honors with Overtime Elite as he wraps up his high school career.

Ian Jackson won’t be on North Carolina’s campus for a few more months but already the excitement is building for the five-star commit.

Jackson committed to UNC in early 2023 and has been ranked as a five-star recruit for the entire year as he makes up one of three players in the Tar Heels’ 2024 class. While Jackson played the first few years of his high school career in New York, he’s now in the Overtime Elite league.

And he’s making a big impact.

At the end of February, Jackson was named as one of five players on the First Team All OTE. He joined Eli Ellis, Karter Knox, John Bol and Rakease Passmore to earn the honors:

Jackson has been fantastic in his lone season with Overtime Elite playing for Team Jelly Fam. As he wraps up his high school career, Jackson is proving he is one of the top recruits in the country and should have an impact right away at North Carolina when he arrives.

Currently, Jackson is ranked as the No. 8 overall player and No. 4 shooting guard in the 2024 class per the 247Sports rankings.

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