The final word on Ridge View’s GG Jackson: What we’re hearing as decision day arrives
It is decision day for Ridge View five-star basketball prospect G.G. Jackson.
Here is what we know heading to the announcement of his college choice:
▪ Jackson will announce his choice at a 3 p.m. ceremony at Ridge View High School. Before the announcement, a banner will be revealed honoring Jackson being named the 2021-22 SC Gatorade Player of the Year. He is the first player from Ridge View to win the award.
“It is the right time for G.G. and his family to announce the decision,” said outgoing Ridge View coach Yerrick Stoneman, who will take over at Oak Hill next year. “They have been so good about listening to all coaches that have come in. It is the right time to make a choice.”
▪ Jackson’s final six choices are Auburn, Duke, Georgetown, Overtime Elite Professional League, North Carolina and South Carolina. He revealed his final six on March 4. Since then, he has been offered by Oregon, UMass and Louisville.
▪ While they were on his final list, Auburn, Georgetown and Overtime Elite don’t seem to be factors. Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl and assistant coach Wes Flanigan stopped by Ridge View on March 23. Jackson never took an official visit to Auburn.
▪ Jackson took an official visit to Georgetown in November and assistant coach Louis Orr attended Ridge View’s Upper State championship game in February. The Hoyas had two former RV players on the roster this year in Kaiden Rice and Malcolm Wilson.
▪ South Carolina was one of the first schools to offer when Frank Martin extended one in August of 2020. The Gamecocks don’t typically offer younger players like Jackson, but Martin and the USC staff had their eye on Jackson for some time.
▪ Martin and his staff built a strong relationship with Jackson with the peak reaching his official visit to the Gamecocks in February. The visit featured him attending a game against LSU, talking to Gamecocks football coach Shane Beamer and quarterback Spencer Rattler, NBA Hall of Famer Alex English and other former Gamecocks such as PJ Dozier and Chris Silva. Jackson and his family sat down with USC athletic department representatives to talk about name, image and likeness.
▪ The momentum USC had in the weeks following kind of went away after the school parted ways with Martin, who was the only Division I coach courtside for Jackson’s Class 5A state championship game.
“I didn’t see it coming,” Jackson’s father Greg said. “I thought they were going to let him continue to build and carry that momentum to next year. They had a good team coming back and some good prospects. I was just shocked.”
▪ Martin, who has since landed at UMass and offered Jackson, told Phil Kornblut’s SportsTalk radio show that he believed the Gamecocks were going to land Jackson if he remained the coach.
“Yes,” Martin said when asked if he thought Jackson would have been a Gamecock. “I know everyone didn’t think we were getting Zion (Williamson). But we were in there to the 11th hour. ... We did our jobs, and if I didn’t think that I wouldn’t tell you.”
▪ The Gamecocks hired Chattanooga coach Lamont Paris as Martin’s successor. Paris met with Jackson on March 28 and laid out his vision for the program and how Jackson could fit in it. He also preached on the benefits on staying in-state and pointed to ones who did in other sports such as A’Ja Wilson and Marcus Lattimore. According to a source, Paris pointed out the familiarity Jackson had with the program and campus.. After the in-person meeting, Paris remained in touch with Jackson on several occasions and was at his AAU game in Indianapolis on Friday.
▪ While USC was in midst of coaching change, that let blue bloods UNC and Duke move to the top of the list if they weren’t there already. UNC offered Jackson on June 15, the first day coaches could contact rising juniors in the Class of 2023. Jackson said he and his father both cried when they got the phone call from Hubert Davis to tell him about the offer.
▪ Duke offered shortly after that. Assistant coach Nolan Smith attended a SC High School Basketball coaches event in Rock Hill on June 20, and the Blue Devils offered him a day later. The Blue Devils looked to be in a good position with Jackson and attended several Ridge View games during the season. But the Blue Devils have faded in recent weeks, especially after Smith left to take an assistant coaching job at Louisville.
▪ UNC made the last in-person pitch when head coach Hubert Davis and assistant Jeff Lebo flew to South Carolina and met with Jackson and his family at Ridge View, four days before the Tar Heels’ Final Four matchup against Duke. The Tar Heels had one off-campus visit left with Jackson and waited until then to use it.
“That was nuts. I’m thinking they have to get locked in for the game. That just goes to show you the confidence they have, and the trust they have in their players,” Jackson told Inside Carolina. “I felt really special. It opened up my eyes to how much they want me, as a school.”
What they are saying
The 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions for Jackson are 100% for North Carolina, with the On3 and Rivals picks heavily weighted to the Tar Heels as well. The State reached out to some of the national analysts to get their opinions on where they think Jackson will end up.
On3 recruiting analyst Jamie Shaw
“South Carolina was in a good spot until they parted ways with Frank Martin. UNC stayed the course for well over a year, showed G.G. and his family he was the No. 1 priority and then they made a run to the NCAA finals. G.G. will slide into the Brady Manek role. He is not as good a shooter as Manek but is more dynamic on both ends of the floor.”
Rivals Basketball Recruiting Director Rob Cassidy
“I’ve long thought it would be North Carolina for G.G. Jackson, and the writing on the wall became even clearer when South Carolina fired Frank Martin. The Tar Heels are definitely the favorite headed into decision day. I guess I could envision a shocker where he announces he’ll go the professional route, but I remain pretty confident he’s headed to Chapel Hill. The relationship Hubert Davis has in place with Jackson and his family is strong, and the momentum UNC has on the court is undeniable.”
This story was originally published April 27, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
