Freshman guard Ian Jackson will leave the UNC men’s basketball program. He officially entered the transfer portal Monday afternoon with three years of eligibility remaining.

Jackson arrived in Chapel Hill as a heralded five-star recruit from the Bronx, the highest-rated player to sign with head coach Hubert Davis to that point. The freshman’s up-and-down season mirrored that of the Tar Heels as a whole, as Jackson showed flashes of brilliance but also the inconsistency which kept him from ascending to stardom.

Jackson started 12 games for UNC, but was relegated to a reserve role early in February amid a poor run of play. After averaging 21.2 points per game during an eight-game stretch in December and January, Jackson’s numbers dipped to 8.2 points per game over the next six contests. The Tar Heels went 2-4 during that stretch.

Jackson would find his form again before the end of the season, averaging 14.3 points per game during a six-game winning streak, but those numbers dried up again in UNC’s home stretch. Jackson failed to reach double figures in each of the Tar Heels’ final six games, including a zero-point showing in UNC’s ACC semifinal loss to Duke.

For the season, Jackson averaged 11.9 points per game and shot 39.5 percent on three-pointers. He was named to the ACC’s All-Freshman Team.

 

Featured image via Todd Melet

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