Former 5-Star Ian Jackson Faces Lofty Expectations From Rick Pitino in Year 2

A former five-star recruit and one of the most coveted names to hit the transfer portal out of UNC, Ian Jackson arrived at St. John's ahead of the 2025-26 season with high expectations.

While productive, Jackson never fully reached the superstardom many envisioned in his first season under Rick Pitino.

The 6-foot-5 guard started 19 of 36 games, finished fourth on the team in scoring at 9.4 points per game, flashed elite shot-creation ability, and spent much of the season adapting to Pitino's demanding, detail-heavy system.

Now, the bar has moved.

On Monday, Pitino delivered a revealing message about Jackson's future, saying he hopes the explosive guard "falls right in line to have the type of year that RJ [Luis] and Zuby [Ejiofor] had."

Pitino made it clear that expectations for Jackson have shifted from promising contributor to potential centerpiece.

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RJ Luis and Zuby Ejiofor evolved from exciting transfers into two of the faces of St. John's basketball.

Luis came over from UMass as a talented but still-developing wing. Under Pitino, he blossomed into a high-impact star and legitimate NBA prospect whose two-way play helped power St. John's resurgence.

In his final season with the Red Storm in 2024-25, Luis averaged a career-best 18.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game, leading St. John’s breakout and earning Big East Player of the Year honors and consensus second-team All-American recognition.

Ejiofor's rise was even more dramatic.

After seeing limited opportunity at Kansas, the big man transferred to St. John's and developed into one of the most decorated players in college basketball.

His first season in Queens was modest, averaging just 4.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 11.3 minutes per game across 33 appearances with only one start.

By his senior season in 2025-26, however, Ejiofor had transformed into a dominant two-way force, averaging 16.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.1 blocks while starting every game and shooting 53.6% from the field.

Ejiofor captured Big East Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and conference tournament MVP honors, and earned AP Honorable Mention All-American recognition.

He was also handed the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, given out annually to the best center in college basketball, and was the emotional heartbeat of the program.

Clearly, Pitino expects a similar rise from Jackson.

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St. John's is entering another transition point. Ejiofor's college career is over, and the Red Storm have endured another round of portal churn, losing 6-foot-5 sophomore Joson Sanon, March Madness hero Dylan Darling, and former four-star prospect Kelvin Odih.

That leaves a larger offensive burden for Jackson, whose usage, responsibility, and nightly defensive attention are all expected to climb heading into 2026-27.

But based on Pitino's comments, the Hall of Fame coach believes Jackson is ready to carry the torch and potentially emerge as the next face of the program.

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This story was originally published May 18, 2026 at 10:31 AM.