Top UNC, NC State basketball recruits shine at adidas event, eager to help schools win

Playing in front of their future head coaches and NBA scouts, Ian Jackson and Paul McNeil haven’t disappointed this week at the adidas 3SSB championships.

Jackson, the Class of 2024 North Carolina commit, has rattled 20-point plus performances for the Wiz Kids (NY). McNeil also has been impressive for his Garner Road squad.

UNC coach Hubert Davis arrived in Rock Hill on Friday, but he wasn’t the only one getting a look at Jackson. NBA scouts from the New York Knicks, Orlando Magic and Oklahoma City Thunder were there at the Rock Hill Sports and Events Center on to see the 6-foot-5 Jackson, a top-five prospect in the Class of 2024.

Jackson has the potential to be a one-and-done player for the Tar Heels. He is the highest-ranked recruit for UNC since Cole Anthony, who was ranked fourth in 247Sports Composite rankings in 2019.

Jackson picked UNC over Kentucky in a nationally televised announcement at the HoopHall Classic.

“It was a family environment. The whole coaching staff attended University of North Carolina,” Jackson told The News and Observer on Wednesday. “They all know what it feels like to be a Tar Heel.”

Davis and UNC staff have made it a priority to recruit in the New York area. Jackson plays at Cardinal Hayes High School in New York and Davis has a connection to the city, having played with the Knicks during his NBA career.

“The three or four years I was here at Carolina, we always had three or four New York guys on our team, and they always had a nice chip on their shoulders, and I like those types of guys,” Davis told reporters last year.

Jackson is part of a talented UNC recruiting class that includes Drake Powell and James Brown, who are both four-star prospects. The Tar Heels also are pursuing five-star guard Boogie Fland who, like Jackson, is from New York.

Elliot Cadeau was supposed to be a member of this class but reclassified for the 2023 class.

“Hopefully we get him,” Jackson said of Fland. “They are all great players. Drake, James Brown. I feel like when we get together, we will do something special.”

Jackson has had a busy summer. In addition to playing on the AAU circuit, he also played for Team USA’s 19U team in the World Cup earlier this month. He was one of only four high school players on the 12-man roster.

The team finished fourth in the World Cup, and Jackson averaged 6.3 points, 2.1 assists and 2.0 rebounds in 13.8 minutes per game.

“It was a great experience even though we lost,” Jackson said. “I learned a lot about myself, what more I can do to help develop my game.”

McNeil’s strong bond with Wolfpack

N.C. State head coach Kevin Keatts and Levi Watkins arrived in Rock Hill on Thursday and were front and center to see McNeil, the Wolfpack’s highest ranked recruit for the Class of 2024.

McNeil’s Garner Road team lost in overtime, 60-59, but the two coaches had to like what they saw from the Richmond Senior High standout, who committed to N.C. State on Feb. 19.

On Friday, McNeil scored 24 points and hit the game-winning jumper in a win over Brookwood Elite.

“They have been there since ninth grade,” McNeil told The News and Observer. “That is the connection and bond we have. I’m blessed to have them watching me and blessed to play this basketball game.

“We just clicked. I trusted them and they trusted me.”

McNeil said there was no second choice for him. It has always been the Wolfpack despite not being a big N.C. State fan.

247Sports Composite ranks McNeil as the No. 48 prospect for the Class of 2024. He is one of two N.C. State commits for next year’s class. Trey Parker, who plays at Overtime Elite in Atlanta, reclassified from Class of 2023 to 2024.

“I just try to get guys to come with me and let them know they can trust and believe in the coaching staff,” McNeil said. “We want to get guys in and win the ACC. That is my main goal.”

McNeil also said some of his main goals individually is to get stronger, bigger and get his body right to play the rigors of the ACC.

The 6-foot-6 McNeil got to play against some of the top players in the country last month in the NBA Top 100 camp in Orlando.

McNeil is coming off a big junior season in which he averaged 24 points, 8.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists in helping Richmond Senior to the NC Class 4A championship game. It was Richmond Senior’s first state championship appearance since 1997.