The strength of St. John’s is undeniably its frontcourt, where the towering trio of Zuby Ejiofor, Bryce Hopkins and Dillon Mitchell creates a nightly size advantage.
But head coach Rick Pitino believes the key to a deep NCAA Tournament run is a great backcourt, and that’s where Ian Jackson could loom large.
Jackson has endured an up-and-down first season at St. John’s, but his well-rounded performance in Saturday night’s 89-57 win over Villanova suggests the talented sophomore guard might be peaking at the right time.
And while his scoring numbers had been down of late, Pitino says Jackson has improved considerably over the course of the season.
“He probably doesn’t see it as much as I do because he just wants to score 40 points a game, but he’s gotten to become a better defensive player,” Pitino said. “He’s picking up a lot of different things, from rebounding and steals and making himself a total player, not just a scorer.”
Jackson flashed with a game-high 19 points on 5-of-11 shooting in Saturday’s victory, marking the first time in seven games that he scored in double figures.
But even more notable were Jackson’s career-high five steals, to go along with five rebounds, fueling the Red Storm’s dominant defensive effort against one of the top teams in the Big East.
“For me, it’s just having the mentality of trying to impact winning, whatever it takes that night,” Jackson said. “Whether it’s on defense, offense, whatever I could do to help us win is what I’m willing to do.”
When Jackson — a former five-star recruit from Our Saviour Lutheran School in the Bronx — transferred from North Carolina in April, Pitino declared him “our next great point” guard.
But the 6-5 Jackson is a shooting guard by trade, and the point guard position has become more of an ever-evolving team effort for St. John’s.
Senior wing Oziyah Sellers opened the season as the Red Storm’s main ball-handler, while Dylan Darling — the only true point guard on the roster — started for part of non-conference play.
While Jackson started 18 games in a row before an ankle injury sidelined him for a Feb. 21 win over Creighton, the Johnnies have also leaned on the 6-8 Mitchell as a play-making point forward.
“Ian’s a two-guard,” Pitino said. “He’s not a one, but he’s learned the one, which has made him a better player, better passer. … He’s becoming a complete player.”
Jackson’s all-around impact was at its greatest Saturday during a 63-second stretch in which he drilled a 3-pointer, then recorded three consecutive steals that all led to points by St. John’s on the other end.
That first-half surge included a transition windmill dunk by Jackson and turned an early seven-point St. John’s lead into a sudden 30-14 advantage.
“Ian did a really great job, especially applying the pressure [with the] five steals and just getting us in transition,” Ejiofor said afterward. “Because when we’re in transition, we’re a really tough team to beat.”
Jackson entered Tuesday night’s meeting with Georgetown at Madison Square Garden averaging 10.4 points per game, which ranked fourth on the team, while his 36.1% rate on 3-pointers was the best among St. John’s players with at least 18 attempts.
Pitino believes Jackson has the speed, length and IQ to make an even bigger impact defensively.
“He can be the best defensive player on the team,” Pitino said. “He just has never been known as that, and he’s focused in on it.”
