In this era of collegiate basketball, the transfer portal shouldn’t cause many surprises, but a former Duke basketball hero was shocked by a 5-star guard from North Carolina’s choice.
After one season, Ian Jackson left the Tar Heels by logging into the transfer portal on Monday afternoon. In addition to shooting 45.6 percent from the field and 39.5 percent from three-point range, he averaged 11.9 points, 2.7 rebounds, 0.9 assists, and 0.6 steals a game.
When he started college, the McDonald’s All-American was considered a one-and-done. However, his NBA prospectus never developed, and he will now be searching for a new home in his sophomore season.
The former Tar Heel is being courted by schools like St. John’s, Arkansas, Ole Miss, and Georgia, but Duke star and current ESPN basketball analyst Jay Williams finds the move incomprehensible.
Shortly before the Houston vs. Florida National Championship game began, Williams wrote on X, “This could just be a play to negotiate a higher salary & leverage the market place…it has to be.”
“UNC cannot allow him to escape.”
After controversially qualifying for the NCAA Tournament this season and losing in the Round of 64 following a victory in the First Four, UNC has allowed him to leave as head coach Hubert Davis attempts to reimagine himself and completely overhaul the team.
It would have been the second time in his four-year career that North Carolina was not invited to the Big Dance if the Tar Heels had missed March Madness this season, as the majority of analysts had projected.
Despite the fact that North Carolina lost both Ian Jackson and Elliot Cadeau to the portal, many believed that Davis mistreated Jackson this season by limiting his time on the ball with RJ Davis in his final season with the program.
Jonathan Powell, a transfer from West Virginia, joined the Tar Heels’ backcourt this offseason.
Jay Williams and the rest of the nation are reminded to never be caught off guard by what transpires via the college basketball transfer portal.
