Video: Carey Rich speaks on GG Jackson’s impact at South Carolina, future on Gamecock recruiting
The G.G. Jackson era may have been short-lived at South Carolina, but that doesn’t mean he’s not still making an impact on the program.
Prior to being selected by the Memphis Grizzlies with the 45th overall pick in last week’s NBA Draft, USC men’s basketball special assistant to the head coach Carey Rich reflected on Jackson’s decision to be a Gamecock.
“That’s why he came to South Carolina. He embraced the challenges and the non-tradition, so to speak,” said Rich. “He wanted to be different and do something that no one had done before. To put himself in this position to be drafted, it goes a long, long way.”
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Jackson could’ve gone to a school like North Carolina where there would’ve been less pressure on him. Instead, he chose to became the face of a program at just 17 years old. While there were highs and lows along the way, his game and maturity grew as the year went on.
“So much as been said about his maturity, or lack there of. You know, at 17 years old I don’t know how many people could’ve handled the pressure or the lofty goals, expectations, and everything that went along with it. I remember him telling his mother one night after a game, ‘just try walking a day in my shoes and you’ll see how much pressure it is to be as good as I want to be.’”
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Despite the target being on his back from day one, Jackson quickly became a star at South Carolina. In his one season with the Gamecocks Jackson averaged 15.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.
“I think that a lot of people forget that this was his first year planning out on the perimeter. He had never played out on the perimeter until this past year. To watch him play (out there) at 6-8, 6-9 with so much fluidity it’s something that impressed all of us.”
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As Lamont Paris heads into his second season at South Carolina, Rich can already see a difference with recruiting this offseason. Sure, there’s more of an infrastructure in place compared to where things were a year ago. But also, some of that success goes back to the decision Jackson made a year ago to be a Gamecock.
“I think it says a lot. And it certainly says that we’re not done and we’re gonna continue to try to recruit top talent. Any time you have a homegrown individual like GG you certainly want it to works out best for everyone that’s involved… Any time you’re the top player in the country and you’re choosing between the likes of some blue bloods — for us to be in the mix and to ultimately close the deal and land a young man like GG, hopefully it speaks to our recruiting prowls.”
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