North Carolina Tar Heels freshman guard Ian Jackson achieved plenty of accolades during his time with Cardinal Hayes High School in Bronx, New York. He later transferred to Our Savior Lutheran School during his senior year. However, a video from his Cardinal Hayes days was posted to Instagram by B/R Hoops on Wednesday, showing him schooling a player from the opposing team.
The former No. 8 ranked player from the Class of 2024 was keeping it real with one of his opponents, telling him that it was his fault that they lost, pointing out that his team figured out the weaknesses in their plays because of that player.
However, Jackson did use this as a teachable moment, telling him that he could practice more and get better. This moment had fans talking, applauding Jackson for the advice he gave his opponent.
"This is real talk and advice," one user wrote.
"I respect it tbh," another added.
"That's actually 🔥😂," a fan posted.
"nah he broke it down to him to there’s levels," said another.
Meanwhile, one fan noted that the other player was just salty that he and his team lost:
"Probably was real facts, dawg was just salty the facts came with an L lol."
However, more people were saying that this should be taken as constructive criticism from one of the top high school players in the country at that time.
"A lot of people would take that as trash talk and wouldn’t be hearing it but that’s good feedback from a top-ranked player in the country," one said.
Jackson was a consensus five-star recruit and a 2024 McDonald's All-American. He was named the National Sophomore of the Year by MaxPreps during his time with Cardinal Hayes.
What a scout said about Ian Jackson's game while he was in high school
During his time at Our Saviour Lutheran School and at Cardinal Hayes, Jackson has been noted for his talent and competitiveness, though 247Sports Director of Scouting Adam Finklestein reported that he can also be inconsistent sometimes.
He has been improving, however, as Ian Jackson has been working on various aspects of his game, including his handle, left hand, touch finishes and passing. He has also been described as a good defender and a deceptively strong player.