To say that GG Jackson was in awe during his official visit to Duke last weekend would be putting it mildly.
From answering the call of the Cameron Crazies to sit with them in the stands to chatting with Mike Krzyzewski and an amazing performance by NIL, Jackson called the visit a “revelation.”
“Definitely a 10 out of 10,” Jackson said. “My family and I really enjoyed it. We spent a lot of time with the coaches and had some important talks. It was a great visit.”
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And terrifying.
Something like.
Jackson described hearing Krzyzewski address the team before their game against Syracuse as “intimidating.”
“Man, it was so crazy to hear him serious, serious!” Jackson said. “I was shaking a bit! That is one of, if not the greatest coach of all time. He pulled me aside and told me he liked my game and told me a couple of things he wanted me to work on. That was big for me.”
Equally monumental was the presentation of NIL given to Jackson and his family by new coach-in-waiting Jon Scheyer and his staff.
“It was very impressive,” Jackson said. “I didn’t know that NIL could go as far as car dealerships and all that. It definitely opened my eyes to new possibilities.”
GG Jackson has had a dominant junior season.
Jason Jordan/I.S.
NIL’s wide-open chances are believable and the red-carpet treatment is understandable for a player of Jackson’s caliber.
At 6-foot-9, Jackson’s ability to efficiently create and knock down shots from full court makes him a headache as a defensive task. He’s just as capable in the paint, using his quickness and agility to maneuver around high-percentage shots and dominate the glass at both ends.
It makes sense why Scheyer & Co. are exaggerating comparisons to freshman star Paolo Banchero, the possible first pick in the 2022 NBA Draft this summer.
“They talked to me all weekend about coming in and being the go-to player,” Jackson said. “They showed me how it would fit in and how the offense would work and things like that. On the way home, my dad and I were talking, and we were both on the same page that it would fit right in there. Now, I just have to keep my eyes open on this process because I have great options.”
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Jackson has already made official visits to North Carolina and Georgetown and has a tentative plan to take an official trip to South Carolina on Feb. 4 before wrapping things up to mentally focus on his state title hunt.
“After that, I’ll probably set dates for a few more visits,” said Jackson, who received his latest offer from UCLA. “I definitely left the Duke visit knowing that this process was going to be really difficult. We loved it and want to go back there sometime. After the visits, I’ll come up with a top five or seven and then go from there. God willing, I would like to decide this spring, so I hope he directs me and I can pull it off.”
Jackson has already gotten clarity on a different decision regarding his future plans.
“I’m not going to reclassify,” Jackson said. “I was really considering trying to join the class of 2022, but I definitely want to stay in my class and hit some of the goals that I have for my senior year.”
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Eddie is an Australian news reporter with over 9 years in the industry and has published on Forbes and tech crunch.