Jackson Staying Home, Signs With Gamecocks

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Consensus five-star prospect Gregory “GG” Jackson has signed a national letter of intent to join South Carolina’s 2022 recruiting class. He will be immediately eligible to play for the upcoming 2022-23 season.

“We are in the business of helping provide opportunities to young people and this is a prime example of being able to that,” said head coach Lamont Paris. “It makes me really happy that GG will be close to his family and be able to play every home game in front of them. His game speaks for itself. He’s an incredibly talented basketball player as well as a gifted athlete. GG thinks the game at an uncommonly high level. His versatility on both sides of the basketball is extremely rare. GG is a very high character individual and has an incredibly magnetic personality. He will fit in perfectly with this group of young men.”

Jackson, a Columbia native, is making history as the highest ranked incoming freshman in Gamecock men’s basketball history. He joins former Gamecock great and fellow Columbia native PJ Dozier as the only five-star signees in school history.

A star for Ridge View, Jackson averaged 22.1 points, 10.9 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game as a junior in helping lead the Blazers to the 2022 South Carolina Class 5A State Championship. He was named the 2021-22 South Carolina Boys Basketball Gatorade Player of the Year. The 6-foot-9, 210 pound forward had 14 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks in a 65-57 win over Fort Dorchester in the state title game this past season.

He was recently named the 2022 National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) Top 100 MVP in early July. The camp’s impressive alumni list features 300 players who have gone on to have successful careers in the NBA. He was also was a part of the Team USA squad that brought home the gold medal at the 2022 FIBA U18 Americas Championship in Tijuana, Mexico over the summer.

Jackson most recently played in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League for Team CP3. In 20 games, he averaged 12.8 points, 10.6 rebounds (led thee league), 1.9 assist per game. He shot 49.5 percent from the field and 35.1 percent from behind the arc.

Jackson joins incoming freshman Daniel Hankins-Sanford and Zachary Davis on Carolina’s roster. Troy Boynton (Evansville), Hayden Brown (The Citadel), Ebrima Dibba (Coastal Carolina), Meechie Johnson (Ohio State) and Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk (Illinois) have also enrolled as transfers and will be immediately eligible for the upcoming season.

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