GG Jackson has ‘the hardest job in all of America,’ yet he smiles through it all

GG Jackson is a kid.

That’s not meant as a knock on his maturity. It’s not an insult. He should be a kid. For all of the larger-than-life hype surrounding South Carolina’s freshman phenom, Jackson is only 17 years old. He won’t turn 18 for another month. If not for a decision to reclassify, he’d be a senior in high school right now.

The spotlight doesn’t care how old you are. It’s unrelenting, and it will shine on Jackson all season long.

He’s the top-rated signee in Gamecock history, a 6-foot-9 homegrown star from nearby Ridge View High. After Kevin Garnett, Ja Morant, Zion Williamson and the like left the state to play basketball elsewhere, Jackson is the one who didn’t get away. The one who stayed home. He’s a key reason — maybe the reason — why there’s a sense of excitement around the Gamecocks in new head coach Lamont Paris’ first year.

That’s a lot of pressure, scrutiny and responsibility to place on the shoulders of a kid not yet old enough to vote. Yet part of what makes Jackson special is the way he smiles through all of it. The way he laughs at the Twitter comments. He doesn’t stand apart from his teammates or carry himself like the nationwide name that he is.

Jackson will no doubt hear his name called in next year’s NBA Draft. But for now, he’s having fun. He’s being a 17-year-old.

“These are the most hilarious guys I’ve been around in my entire life,” Jackson said, smiling after his much-ballyhooed Gamecocks debut in Wednesday’s exhibition win over Mars Hill.

Sitting next to fellow newcomer Meechie Johnson at the postgame press conference, it was easy to see the chemistry between the two teammates, their funny looks to each other, their inside jokes. Jackson and Johnson have grown especially close, and the same goes for Jackson and his fellow freshmen Zachary Davis and Daniel Hankins-Sanford, who together have drawn “Three Amigos” comparisons.

“On this side of the bench, you notice like all of us are laughing, got a smile on our face, until it’s time to get serious and get down to business,” Jackson said. “But it’s also a family atmosphere. We always are in each other’s room. I’m barely in my room. I’m either in (Johnson’s) room or in Daniel or Zach’s room.”

With the way Jackson’s eyes glisten as he talks about his teammates and his short time at USC, it’s clear he’s enjoying his college experience — despite the oddity of it all.

Here in his first semester, all of his classes are in the Close-Hipp building. An amused Jackson described what it was like walking into the classroom on his first day and seeing his new classmates’ jaws drop.

“I can see people like, ‘Oh, that’s really him!’ ”Jackson said. “Even after class, they were asking to get pictures and stuff. And I was telling them, I was like, ‘I’m a normal student like y’all. You don’t have to hold me up to such a high standard or look at me or like I’m some type of celebrity.’

“Because I’m still trying to get to that level, but I just like to let them know that I’m a normal, cool guy.”

Before signing with the Gamecocks, Jackson had committed to Hubert Davis’ North Carolina Tar Heels for the Class of 2023 — a class in which Jackson ranked as the nation’s top overall prospect. But Jackson and his family decided to reopen his recruitment and reclassify to 2022 during the summer, and with UNC’s 2022 class already full, Paris and the Gamecocks were able to swoop in.

The sheer attention Jackson’s USC signing has brought to the program isn’t lost on Paris or his coaching staff, who are trying to establish a foothold on the recruiting trail and get USC back to an NCAA tournament for the first time since 2017.

But Paris is also quick to remind people of Jackson’s youth. Jackson has shown a high capacity to learn, Paris said, and is a willing passer to his teammates. At 6-foot-9 with a soft shooting touch, deep range and wide array of offensive tools, Jackson has the chance to evolve into an elite scorer at the college level and beyond. But Paris notes that Jackson has improvements to make, too, refinements in his game, especially in terms of aggression and decision-making on the defensive side.

Though the season won’t tip off officially until Tuesday against S.C. State, there seems to be a strong connection between the coach and player already. When Jackson sunk his first 3-pointer in Wednesday’s exhibition, he immediately looked in Paris’ direction, as though seeking approval. A grinning Paris clapped and said, “Nice job.”

“He does everything that 17-year-olds should do and do,” Paris said. “I’ve been really happy with him.

“He has one of the hardest jobs in all of America, right? Harder than whoever the same version of him was in 2017. Certainly 2010. Certainly before that. (There’s) more opportunity, more scrutiny, more visibility, more pressures, more of everything, more cooks in the kitchen, more money, more resources, more everything. And while that’s great, it’s also very difficult for a 17-year-old that could still be in high school right now.”

On the day of USC’s exhibition, Jackson’s vibrant personality was on full display. Before the game, he took a seat at the marching band’s drum set and showcased his musical skills. The son of a pastor, Jackson is known to play drums at his church on Sundays. Throughout the contest, just as Jackson described himself, he could be seen smiling and joking around with some of his best friends on the USC bench.

He kept that same positive energy rolling into the postgame press conference, where he talked about how excited and nervous he was to finally make his Gamecocks debut. Before he left the room, he turned back for a second to pay his college head coach the ultimate compliment.

“He’s the smoothest, good-smelling coach ever,” Jackson said, eliciting a room full of laughter.

That’s just GG Jackson being the kid that he is.