IN PICS: Former UNC recruit Ian Jackson shares snaps from intense workout ahead of debut with Rick Pitino's St. John's

Ian Jackson is preparing for his sophomore season at St. John's. The 6-foot-4 guard was a five-star recruit in the 2024 class who transferred to the Red Storm after one year at North Carolina.

Jackson put up 11.9 points and 2.7 rebounds for the Tar Heels last season, but he entered the transfer portal on April 7. Two weeks later, he committed to St. John's and coach Rick Pitino.

On Wednesday, Jackson shared an Instagram post of his workout.

"Neva reached or fell outta my prime, ……physically just flowin, ……….mentally just going, makin sure the future in Nobody hands but mine," he captioned the post.

Here are some of the photos he shared:

Ian Jackson was at the Summit NYC training center, which provides athletes with facilities to reach their highest potential.

Jackson will hope to be a major contributor for the Red Storm, who finished last season on a high note, winning the Big East regular season and tournament titles. That earned them an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, where they advanced to the Round of 32.

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Ian Jackson reveals what excites him about Coach Pitino's coaching style

Ian Jackson opened up about his move to his home city, New York, to play for St. John's. During last week's episode of his podcast "Captain Jack Show," Jackson spoke about the reasons why he left North Carolina.

"It just wasn’t for me," Jackson said of his time in Chapel Hill (TS- 2:52). "It was some things that I couldn’t show, I couldn’t do on the floor that I feel like I could have done. But it’s a journey. Just a different opportunity ... I just wanted to be somewhere where I could be free and just play and win games. For me, St John’s is important."

Jackson shared his feelings about playing under coach Rick Pitino.

"Being home, and then Coach Pitino? Legendary," he added. "He understands the game. He understands what it takes for a player to get to the next level, which is still ultimately the goal. He understands what it takes to win. Coach P — he’ll teach me a lot."

Ian Jackson will join St. John's transfer class, ranked No. 1 in the country by 247 Sports, along with Bryce Hopkins from Providence, Oziyah Sellers from Stanford and Joson Sanon from Arizona State.