Which GG Jackson will show up for USC at Kentucky? Paris trying to push right buttons
This is the platform GG Jackson chose — the role of hometown hero. The center of attention.
The former Ridge View High star could’ve been a tree among trees at North Carolina, where he originally committed to play basketball in 2023-24. Instead, Jackson sticks out like a sore thumb on a 7-8 (0-2 SEC) South Carolina Gamecocks team that is searching for an identity in Year 1 under coach Lamont Paris.
Jackson is the player every opposing team circles on their scouting report, the guy every defense double-teams, the phenom 18-year-old freshman who — win or lose — always garners headlines.
For the most part this season, Jackson has lived up to the monumental hype that followed him on the recruiting trail. He leads the Gamecocks in both scoring (15.7 points) and rebounding (7.1), and before Saturday’s historic 43-point loss to No. 8 Tennessee, Jackson had scored double-digit points in every game this season.
But there’s a flip-side to being the center of attention: When you post a dud, there’s nowhere to hide.
Jackson had his worst game, by far, against the punishing Volunteers defense on Saturday, going scoreless on 0-for-8 shooting, committing four turnovers and collecting just one rebound. Even worse was the way Jackson carried himself on the court. As his struggles mounted, his effort dwindled. A few times, frustrated USC coaches on the sideline yelled at their star to run down the court and not stand there with his hand on his hip.
When the second half started, Jackson opened the period on the bench, replaced by fellow freshman Zachary Davis. The benching was brief — about two minutes — but intentional.
“Sometimes you just need someone to tell you the truth right to your face,” Paris said after the game. “And I told him, ‘Here’s where you are. Your body language is not good. It’s not good body language. You have to inspire your teammates, man. You got to respond to stuff. Let’s go. You’ll get another opportunity. Have a seat right now. And when you come back out here, let’s play with some juice.’ ”
No one expected the 17-point underdog Gamecocks to defeat the Vols on Saturday. But without a productive Jackson, the results were catastrophic. The 43-point loss was USC’s worst at Colonial Life Arena and worst conference loss since moving to the SEC.
Clearly, for the Gamecocks to have any chance in the SEC, they need Jackson to grow up quickly. The schedule does USC no favors, with a road trip to Rupp Arena looming on Tuesday and a 7 p.m. clash with John Calipari’s Kentucky Wildcats (10-5, 1-2) — a team that will likely play angry after its own 26-point loss at Alabama.
Which Jackson will show up against the Wildcats? Will it be the one who slumped his way through a scoreless outing against Tennessee? Or will it be the Jackson who caught fire in the second half at Georgetown last month and scored 22 points to lift USC to victory?
Paris needed to push Jackson in that Georgetown win, too. When Jackson shot 0-for-5 to start the game and started putting his head down and slumping on the bench, Paris confronted him in the locker room at halftime, pointed out the body language and told him, “That’s bull----.”
Those kinds of moments are poignant reminders that Jackson is just a kid — the youngest college basketball player in the country who only turned 18 weeks ago. Paris suggested that some of Jackson’s Saturday woes stemmed from pressure he placed on himself. Jackson went toe-to-toe against Julian Phillips, another high-profile in-state recruit from Blythewood who chose the Vols over the Gamecocks, and the game was an opportunity for Jackson to make a splash in front of NBA scouts against a top 10 team.
That pressure is the kind Jackson signed up for when he chose to play for the hometown Gamecocks, and helping the freshman navigate it is one of the plethora of challenges Paris faces in his first year at the helm.
After Saturday’s season low point, Gamecock teammates were quick to show their support for Jackson. Veteran point guard Meechie Johnson pointed out that it was only Jackson’s second SEC game and that he’s still a young player who is “learning and adjusting.”
Forward Hayden Brown went even further.
“After a game like tonight, I just pulled him aside and I just I said, ‘I love you, bro,’ ” Brown said. “And I mean that with my whole heart. That’s all the information that I needed to communicate to him tonight. Not, ‘Can you shoot better next time?’ or whatever else I could say.
“I just told him I love him, because we all do collectively. And it’s hard to feel love after bad games, but he needed to know that.”
Next four USC MBB games
Tuesday: at Kentucky, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
Jan. 14: vs. Texas A&M, 6 p.m. (SEC Network)
Jan. 16: vs. Ole Miss, 6:30 p.m. (SEC Network)
Jan 21: vs. Auburn, 3:30 p.m. (SEC Network)
This story was originally published January 9, 2023 at 12:14 PM with the headline "Which GG Jackson will show up for USC at Kentucky? Paris trying to push right buttons."
