Syracuse basketball 5-star NYC target is in battle for No. 1 national ranking

Recruiting service 247Sports recently updated its national rankings for the 2024 class, and Syracuse basketball recruiting target Ian Jackson from New York City is in a fight for the No. 1 spot in this cycle, according to an expert.

In these newly updated and expanded ratings from 247Sports, the 6-foot-6 Jackson checked in at No. 2 across the country. Adam Finkelstein, the director of scouting for 247Sports, says that he and his colleagues were discussing the No. 1 position “down to the very final day,” and it ultimately was a decision between Jackson and five-star shooting guard Tre Johnson.

The 6-foot-5 Johnson, a junior at Lake Highlands High School in Dallas, did get the No. 1 national ranking in 2024, per 247Sports, although obviously Jackson is not far behind.

Jackson, a five-star guard offered a scholarship by the Orange this past April, was at the time of this writing No. 1 in his class according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite and Rivals.com.

Along with 247Sports, Jackson is No. 2 overall via ESPN, On3 and the industry-generated On3 Consensus.

Syracuse basketball faces really steep competition for five-star guard Ian Jackson.

As we noted in another recent column, the Orange coaching staff was expected to visit Jackson during open gyms as part of the fall recruiting period, which recently opened up.

Jackson was a star as a sophomore for Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx, N.Y., and more of the same is anticipated of him in the 2022-23 stanza.

He also is a stand-out for the Bronx, N.Y.-based Wiz Kids in the Adidas league, and over the summer, Jackson helped the USA Basketball U17 national team capture the gold medal at the FIBA U17 World Cup in Málaga, Spain.

Finkelstein, who I believe is one of the top scouts in high-school hoops, says that Jackson boasts a “two-way impact as both a defender and attacking scorer,” and the ‘Cuse recruit continues to improve his shooting mechanics and touch.

"The 247Sports analyst adds that for Jackson, “the next area of development could be with his overall guard skills, decision-making, and reliability in terms of helping to manage a game and a team.”"

Beyond Syracuse basketball, Jackson’s offer sheet includes Kentucky, North Carolina, Arkansas, Pittsburgh, Kansas, UCLA, Oregon, St. John’s, Seton Hall, Oklahoma State, Connecticut, Nebraska, Kansas State and Bryant.

Orange coaches are recruiting Jackson’s high-school and AAU teammate hard. That prospect is newly minted 2024 four-star Elijah Moore, a lethal 6-foot-4 shooting guard.

Moore, in late August, attended the annual Syracuse basketball Elite Camp, and he has said in interviews that he would like to take an official visit to the Hill at some point in the future.