“Hubert had no plan for how to use him”: Fans react as Ian Jackson commits to Rick Pitino’s St. John’s

Former North Carolina Tar Heels guard Ian Jackson entered the transfer portal last week and was the No. 1-ranked guard and No. 8-ranked player in the portal according to 247Sports. On Monday, Jackson revealed that he had committed to coach Rick Pitino's St. John's Red Storm.

Jackson opted to remain in college despite being projected as a second-round pick in the upcoming NBA draft in the latest ESPN mock draft. He took a visit to Queens on April 13 and 14 before making his final decision. The former five-star prospect will have three years of eligibility remaining.

College basketball fans on X had mixed reactions to Ian Jackson leaving North Carolina for St. John's, with some blaming Tar Heels coach Hubert Davis for not utilizing him well last season as the reason for his departure.

Some fans were just hyped that he chose to join the Red Storm.

"Let’s gooooo," one fan tweeted.

"Big time pickup," another fan tweeted.

"I knew it once i saw rj luis transfer good pickup pitino," one fan tweeted.

Ian Jackson tabbed to shine under Rick Pitino

Ian Jackson joined the North Carolina Tar Heels as a five-star prospect in the Class of 2024 and the No. 8 overall player in the country according to ESPN. He committed to North Carolina over the Arkansas Razorbacks, LSU Tigers and Kentucky Wildcats.

He started 12 out of 36 games that he played for the Tar Heels and averaged 11.9 points on 45.6% shooting from the floor and 39.5% shooting from beyond the arc, 2.7 rebounds and 0.9 assists last season.

During Monday's segment of FS1 Sports, analyst Terrence Oglesby tabbed Jackson to shine under coach Rick Pitino for the Red Storm.

"He’s a big-time scorer and a terrific athlete," said Terrence Oglesby. "Ian is a much better shooter than he got credit for this past year and is at his best when his foot is on the gas on both sides of the ball. I love the fit for Jackson at St. John’s from a toughness perspective. He was not handled correctly at North Carolina and will be even better for Pitino."

Ian Jackson signing with the St. John's Red Storm gives Rick Pitino's team the No. 2-ranked transfer portal class just behind the Michigan Wolverines, according to 247Sports.

Jackson joins a stacked portal class at St. John's that includes Bryce Hopkins from Providence, Joson Sanon from Arizona State and Oziyah Sellers from Stanford.