What top hoops recruit GG Jackson said about Duke trip, upcoming visit with Gamecocks
South Carolina is in line to get one of GG Jackson’s last official visits, and it’s going to take place a little earlier than expected.
The five-star Ridge View High School basketball junior prospect originally was going to visit the Gamecocks on Feb. 18-20, but that has been pushed up a few weeks to Feb. 4-6 when USC hosts Tennessee. That weekend worked better with Jackson’s schedule.
Ridge View doesn’t play Feb. 5, while the original weekend might have been in conflict with a possible Blazers playoff game.
“I’m looking forward to this visit. I wanted this to be my last visit because it is home,” Jackson said Monday night after the Blazers’ 66-28 win over Rock Hill. “I wanted it to make it the best visit.”
Frank Martin and USC were one of the first schools to offer Jackson and continue to stay in constant contact with him. Jackson is one of the most decorated boys basketball prospects to come through the Columbia area in more than a decade.
“Coach Martin told me, just think about how you can uplift your town and the state of South Carolina by staying at home,” Jackson said. “He said a lot of guys leave, but that is not for everyone and what it would be like to stay and home and play here.”
Jackson’s trip to USC will be his fourth of five official visits that a prospect can take during his junior season. If Jackson takes a fifth visit, it will be to either Auburn or Virginia, Jackson’s father Greg Sr. said Monday.
The number of visits resets going into the fall of his senior season. After the official visits wrap up, Jackson said he will likely announce his top three or five schools.
Jackson’s other official visits have been to Georgetown, North Carolina and Duke. UNC head coach Hubert Davis and assistant coach Jeff Lebo stopped by Ridge View last week to see Jackson. The Tar Heels are trying to get Jackson to a game before the end of the season.
“The whole process has been good,” Greg Jackson Sr. said. “We are doing our evaluations on programs just like they are doing their evaluations on us.”
Jackson hasn’t put a timetable on making a decision, but his father said they wanted to have one made before GG begins his senior season.
“It is a very heavy decision,” GG Jackson said. “It is my next step in life, so I don’t want to rush into it. I want to sit down and think about all my best options.”
There was talk that Jackson could reclassify and be part of the 2022 class, but his father said it’s looking unlikely to happen at this time. Professional leagues such as Overtime Elite and NBA G League Ignite also have shown interest in Jackson, but the college route is most likely to happen at this point.
“He definitely is leaning on wanting to go to school,” Greg Jackson Sr. said.
Jackson is coming off an official visit to Duke over the weekend in which he attended the Blue Devils’ game against Syracuse. He said the visit exceeded his expectations.
Jackson’s trip included interacting with the Cameron Crazies student section and Duke players such as Wendell Moore — they both played AAU basketball for the CP3 organization based out of North Carolina.
The trip also included a meeting with the admissions office and evening dinner on the floor of Cameron Indoor Stadium. Duke coach in-waiting Jon Scheyer has been the main person handling Jackson’s recruiting, but Mike Krzyzewski also spent time talking with Jackson and his family.
“Me and my family definitely enjoyed ourselves a lot,” GG Jackson said. “It was a very fun experience. Getting to sit down at Cameron Indoor Stadium, sit with the Cameron crazies and hear them chanting my name was very uplifting. It was amazing.”
Jackson continues to climb up the recruiting rankings. ESPN had him at No. 7 in the latest Class of 2023 Top 60 released earlier this month. 247Sports has him at No. 8 and Rivals at No. 10.
Jackson had 13 points and 11 rebounds in the Blazers’ win over Rock Hill on Monday. For the season, he is averaging 23 points and 10 rebounds a game.
Jackson and Ridge View have a busy week on tap with four games, including a trip to Virginia to face national power Oak Hill on Saturday. Ridge View coach Yerrick Stoneman is a former Oak Hill assistant coach and has played his former school a few times since coming to Columbia, with the last time coming at the Bojangles’ Bash in 2019.
“I’m definitely looking forward to it,” Jackson said of the matchup with Oak Hill. “We were supposed to go there my freshman year, but we played them here at the Bash (tournament). It is definitely going to be a test of what Ridge View can do and what I can do against top competition.”
