In a recruitment battle that came down to the final pitches, Kentucky missed out on one of the nation’s top high school juniors.
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, five-star class of 2024 shooting guard Ian Jackson stunned the basketball world by picking North Carolina over Kentucky at the 2023 Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass., on ESPNU.
Long considered a heavy lean for the Wildcats (dating back to the beginning of his sophomore season), Jackson kept his decision incredibly tight to the vest, leaving everyone guessing until his announcement was only a few hours away.