As playing time declines, GG Jackson’s body language and frustration stand out
There were three minutes left in South Carolina’s 75-64 loss to visiting Vanderbilt on Tuesday. The Gamecocks were down by a dozen points — not an insurmountable lead — yet their star player, freshman GG Jackson, was sitting on the end of the bench untying his shoelaces.
Earlier in the second half, a frustrated Jackson unwrapped his wrist tape, untucked his jersey and stood apart from his teammates as they huddled during timeouts. He spent the majority of the 20-minute period slouched in his seat on the bench. He’d raise his hand at times, blocking his face, as cameras zoomed in and as Colonial Life Arena fans shouted in his direction.
The 6-foot-9 forward was supposed to be — and up until recently had been — the bright spot on a makeshift, transfer-heavy USC team. A Columbia native and Ridge View High standout, Jackson was the highest-rated recruit to ever sign with South Carolina. And despite being the youngest player in Division I basketball, Jackson came into Tuesday leading the Gamecocks (9-17, 2-11 SEC) in scoring (15.7 points per game) and rebounding (6.2).
Yet for all of his basketball talent, the 18-year-old’s immature moments have drawn most of the attention of late.
Tuesday marked the third straight game that first-year head coach Lamont Paris held Jackson out of the starting lineup — a move Paris made following Jackson’s live video rant on social media after USC’s home loss to Arkansas on Feb. 4. In that video, Jackson complained about not getting “plays drawn up” for him and for not getting the ball in “crunch time.”
Since those comments, Jackson has played his lowest minute totals of the season — going from about 33 minutes a game to 26, 12 and 16 over the last three contests.
And when crunch time rolled around Tuesday, Jackson was left sulking on the bench.
“I didn’t notice any of (Jackson’s body language) to be honest with you,” a measured Paris said after the game. “I’m into the game and the five guys that are on the court ... but I’m sure he was frustrated. He didn’t play particularly well. It happens to everyone. And we played some guys in the second half that — my job ultimately is to try to win the basketball game and there’s some buttons I get to push.”
Jackson played just four minutes in the second half after playing 12 off the bench in the first half. He wasn’t productive during that time, scoring just two points on 1-of-7 shooting and missing all six 3-point attempts he took. And as his on-court struggles mounted, his body language worsened, his effort dwindled, and he returned to the bench.
Jackson was requested but not made available to reporters for a postgame interview.
The body language issue isn’t new, cropping up a few times during the season. At halftime of USC’s Dec. 3 win against Georgetown, Paris confronted a scoreless Jackson in the locker room and told him the way he was carrying himself was “bull----.” Jackson responded by scoring 22 second-half points. Against Tennessee on Jan. 7, assistant coaches yelled at Jackson a few times to run up the court with more vigor, and Paris opted to bring Jackson off the bench in that game’s second half.
In this age of name, image and likeness and social media emphasis, the spotlight will always be on a player like Jackson. He’s been in the national consciousness for basketball fans for a couple of years as his highly public recruitment played out. Initially the No. 1 ranked recruit in the 2024 class, Jackson decommitted from North Carolina and flipped to the local Gamecocks — with much fan fare locally.
But with just five games remaining in the regular season, it’s possible the GG Jackson era at South Carolina could be whimpering to a finish. Jackson will have plenty of options following this season — from declaring to the NBA Draft to transferring to another school.
Jackson touched on his future during the same Instagram live rant that jettisoned him from the starting lineup.
“I don’t even know what I’m doing next year,” Jackson said. “I’m thinking about staying. I don’t know.
“... I can’t even transfer if I stay next year. I already done betrayed one school. I can’t do it to another one.”
For all of the time Jackson spent standing apart from his teammates during Tuesday’s game, his teammates continue to stand by him — at least publicly. Junior guard Meechie Johnson was quick to come to Jackson’s defense following the loss to Vanderbilt.
“That’s my little brother, man,” Johnson said. “He’s young. He’s going through it. It’s tough on him. ... He has so much on his plate, so many people probably talking to him. He’s got expectations for himself being a hometown kid, being the No. 1 player in the country, and it’s a learning experience. The kid’s supposed to still be in high school.
“As teammates, we’re gonna keep riding with him until the end because that’s all we can do. Everybody else might hate him, criticize him, but until he don’t have a Gamecock jersey on one day, we’re gonna keep supporting him no matter what.”
This story was originally published February 15, 2023 at 8:20 AM.
