A brand new beginning lineup wasn’t the one conspicuous change for St. John’s on Saturday.
Ian Jackson, the sophomore guard from the Bronx, debuted a a lot shorter haircut earlier than the Crimson Storm’s 91-64 win over Iona at Madison Sq. Backyard.
Jackson had not gotten his trademark shoulder-length hair lower since he was in seventh grade.
“I seriously didn’t recognize him,” head coach Rick Pitino mentioned. “I looked at him and I said, ‘That’s Ian?’”
Jackson mentioned the stark change stemmed from his want for a “fresh start.”
“Just a chance to — I wouldn’t say ‘start over’ — but just give myself something fresh and something new,” Jackson mentioned.
It’s been a 12 months of change for Jackson, a former five-star recruit from Our Saviour Lutheran Faculty, who spent his freshman season at North Carolina.
Since transferring to St. John’s (6-3) in the course of the offseason, Jackson has been the topic of heightened scrutiny, which Pitino believes is the results of the native New Yorker enjoying in his house metropolis.
However Pitino loves what he’s gotten from Jackson, who made his second begin for St. John’s on Saturday — and his first for the reason that season-opener.
“Ian is a really good basketball player,” Pitino mentioned. “He can go from good to great in a very short period of time because of his willingness to learn, grow, get better. Great player. Great guy. Everything about him spells greatness down the road. His defense has improved immensely.”
A gifted scorer, Jackson began at level guard on Saturday, changing senior Dylan Darling within the opening lineup.
After lacking his first 4 pictures, Jackson completed with 14 factors on 4-of-11 taking pictures with 5 rebounds, three assists and three steals in 27 minutes.
He dedicated 5 turnovers, however Pitino didn’t imagine any have been significantly egregious.
Jackson exited to a loud ovation from a Backyard crowd of 15,803.
“I love his haircut,” mentioned teammate Oziyah Sellers, who led St. John’s with 19 factors. “It was crazy, nobody recognized him when he came to the locker room. We all joked, ‘Now you can see the rim when [you’re] finishing.’ But it was fun. He played good today.”
Pitino likened Jackson’s post-haircut look to that of Billy Dee Williams, the longtime Hollywood heartthrob who starred as Lando Calrissian within the unique “Star Wars” motion pictures.
“I played in the hippie generation, and my teammates and opponents had ponytails down to their rear ends and their ankles,” Pitino mentioned. “I don’t care if you have hair down to your ankles, but you’ve got to be able to see.”
Jackson mentioned his haircut had nothing to do along with his return to the beginning lineup, however relatively for his bigger-picture aspirations.
“I’m just hoping to accomplish a whole bunch of wins for the team,” Jackson mentioned. “Do no matter I can do to affect profitable. Assist us to be the perfect workforce we will be and maintain getting higher because the months go on, because the season goes on.
“I think today was a step in the right direction.”
