St. John's Coach Rick Pitino Gets Major Transfer Portal News on Monday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Max Escarpio | Last updated Apr 21, 2025 12:27 PM ET

St. John's Red Storm men's basketball coach Rick Pitino received major news regarding the NCAA transfer portal on Monday.

As the Red Storm aim to rebuild a roster that recently won the Big East regular-season and tournament titles, having lost Big East Player of the Year RJ Luis Jr., Pitino's team picked up one of the best available players in the transfer portal.

According to Joe Tipton, former five-star prospect Ian Jackson has committed to St. John's after his freshman season with the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Jackson previously committed to UNC as the No. 4 shooting guard and No. 8 overall player in the nation, per 247Sports.

NEWS: North Carolina transfer guard Ian Jackson has committed to St. John’s, source tells @On3sports.

The former 5⭐️ and NYC native had eight games this season in which he scored 20 points or more. https://t.co/aq9TqeaFkg pic.twitter.com/eLCGoann5G
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) April 21, 2025

During his freshman season with the North Carolina Tar Heels, Jackson posted 11.9 points, 2.7 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game.

He played a formidable role in a stacked UNC backcourt that included RJ Davis, Seth Trimble and Elliot Cadeau.

As Tipton mentioned, Jackson had 20 games this past season in which he scored 20 or more points. He has a small sample size of film at the collegiate level, but Pitino and his staff are certainly welcoming a young star.

According to On3, Jackson boasts an NIL valuation of $1.5 million. Jackson has already signed NIL deals with Panini America, Adidas, WME Sports, Extra Butter, VerifiedInk and Spreadshop.

Before his freshman season at UNC, Jackson was viewed as a potential lottery pick in the 2025 NBA draft. While he has elected to stay in college, Jackson will look to boost his NBA draft grade next season at St. John's.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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