St. John’s will have to replace its top-three scorers, but it confirmed a key return for the 2026-2027 college basketball season, with guard Ian Jackson set to run it back.
Jackson spent his sophomore season with St. John’s after beginning his college basketball career at North Carolina. He confirmed his return to the Red Storm on Tuesday, the final day of the transfer portal, according to Joe Tipton of On3 Sports.
Jackson will be St. John’s top returning scorer after averaging 9.4 points per game in his first season under Rick Pitino. The team’s top-three scorers from its 2026 Sweet Sixteen run — Zuby Ejiofor, Bryce Hopkins and Oziyah Sellers — have all exhausted their NCAA eligibility.
Although Jackson played a modest role for St. John’s last season, he is among the top 2026-2027 breakout candidates in college basketball. The Bronx, New York, native is a former five-star recruit and was rated one of the top-10 prospects of the 2024 freshman class.
Jackson’s return is a big win for Pitino, who just received a massive commitment from the transfer portal. St. John’s got the news of Jackson’s return one day after winning the bidding war for Syracuse transfer Donnie Freeman, another former five-star prospect.
Freeman joins Jackson and March Madness star Ruben Prey as the foundations of Pitino’s 2026-2027 roster, which has otherwise suffered several stinging losses. In addition to the departing seniors, the Red Storm lost guards Dylan Darling and Joson Sanon, along with incoming four-star prospect Imran Soljanovic, who recently decommitted and signed with New Mexico.
St. John’s will have to replace its top-three scorers, but it confirmed a key return for the 2026-2027 college basketball season, with guard Ian Jackson set to run it back. Jackson spent his sophomore season with St. John’s after beginning his college basketball career at North Carolina.