Why Ian Jackson Could Take Massive Step Forward for St. John's Basketball

Here's why Ian Jackson could take a massive step forward for St. John's basketball next season.

Mar 14, 2026; New York, NY, USA; St. John's Red Storm guard Ian Jackson (11) following the men's Big East Conference Tournament Championship against the Connecticut Huskies at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As the St. John’s Red Storm get set for the upcoming season, expectations will once again be high for the program. 

Since Rick Pitino has taken over for St. John’s, the team has been able to improve quite a bit. Following a step in the right direction in his first season, the previous two have been fantastic for the Red Storm. 

With at least 30 wins in each of the last two years, a new precedent has been set for St. John’s. Now, as the team starts to prepare for next season, there are a lot of questions regarding the eligibility of players. However, this is a program that once again looks to be very talented. 

After coming up just short in the Sweet 16 last year against a great Duke Blue Devils team, the Red Storm will have their eyes set on more success come March. 

One player who could be a major reason why they will be able to take that step up is guard Ian Jackson.  

Jackson Could Take Major Step

Jul 30, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; St. John’s Red Storm guard Ian Jackson at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With the talented guard heading into his third season in college and second with St. John’s, there is reason to believe that he could be a breakout player for the program. 

Last year, with the point guard position being a major weakness, the team experimented with Jackson in the role. That experiment did not work, and it was not a good campaign for the talented guard. 

Now, with the arrival of Quinn Ellis, this will allow Jackson to slide back to the wing where he is better and more comfortable. After a pretty solid freshman season with the North Carolina Tar Heels, there was a lot of hype surrounding Jackson coming into last season. 

Unfortunately, he was unable to take that step forward and even regressed a bit in a role he wasn’t comfortable with. Last year, he averaged 9.4 points and shot just over 40 percent from the field. 

While the overall year wouldn’t be deemed a success, there were some bright spots. Jackson did showcase at times that he can be a 15-point scorer. Six times he was able to reach that mark last season, and St. John’s would love to see him be a bit more consistent in that area. 

Overall, with the talented guard staying another year in college and it being his second straight under Pitino, there is reason to believe that with the move back to the wing, he will find success.