How GG Jackson, South Carolina men's basketball star, is adjusting to college play at age 17
COLUMBIA — At 17 years old, GG Jackson is already a projected first-round draft pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, but first the No. 1 prospect in the country has to get through his freshman season with South Carolina men's basketball.
Jackson, a Columbia native, reclassified to start his college career a year early and is the youngest player on the Gamecocks' roster. As a junior at Ridge View, he averaged a double-double with 22.1 points, 10.9 rebounds plus 2.25 blocks per game.
"I'm just taking it one step at a time," Jackson said. "It may seem like a lot of pressure, but I don't really feel it as much. I'll probably feel it when the season starts and we start playing. I kind of, not love the attention, but it's nice to have it ... I'm still trying to adjust to the college life."
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The 6-9, 220-pound forward said he still feels like a high schooler at times, and said the team makes sure he knows he's the youngest of the group. He said he's called "little bro" by nearly everyone, though he doesn't mind the moniker.
The age difference feels particularly stark for graduate student Hayden Brown, who is seven years older than Jackson. Brown said he feels like an older brother to Jackson, and while he doesn't worry about the freshman much on the court, he makes a point to check in on Jackson's mental health and overall adjustment to college.
"The sparkle that he has in the eyes and the excitement, I love it ... It's just kind of cool to think back and see like, where he's coming from and the journey that he's about to be on," Brown said. "A lot of people look at him as GG the basketball player ... but I care about him as a person, so I want to just make sure he's okay, make sure he's doing well because I want him to feel comfortable just in his skin as GG, not as GG the basketball player."
Jackson said he thought coming in that he would establish himself as the team's leader, but he hasn't even tried to challenge Brown for the role. He said the 24-year-old forward's perspective has been invaluable in helping him integrate into the team.
"He's probably one of the best teammates I've ever had in my life," Jackson said. "He's definitely like the leader of the team. Having an older guy like that that's played the game a lot and that's been around it a lot definitely helps. He's always given me pointers and stuff at practice, so he's definitely my guy."
Jackson has also leaned on junior guard Meechie Johnson, a transfer from Ohio State. Like Jackson, Johnson was a top 25 prospect in the country and elected to forgo his senior high school season to start his college career. Johnson, who is from Cleveland, Ohio, also stayed close to home at first and felt the pressure to live up to his hometown hero status.
Johnson said he's struggled to feel like himself on the court since high school, and he doesn't want Jackson to experience that same adversity. His biggest advice to the young star is to give himself the grace to make mistakes.
"I tell GG all the time ... you have all these expectations and things you want to do, but the biggest thing is focusing on getting better," Johnson said. "You're going to have mistakes — you're a freshman. So many people may have these expectations on a kid like this, but people don't understand how hard college basketball is ... when you're considered the guy, how teams scout you. I just tell him like, man, no pressure. You go out there, you be yourself and try to block out the noise. That's something that I had to learn that on my own."
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: How freshman star GG Jackson fits with South Carolina men's basketball
