New IMG coach talks close relationship with Syracuse's Gerry McNamara, 5-star recruit, Ryan Moesch

Jackson Johnson is settling into his new role as the head coach of one of the country's top high school basketball programs.

Johnson, who says he's "really close" with Syracuse basketball head coach Gerry McNamara, is preparing to enter his first season leading the powerhouse IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. He was hired by the Ascenders in late May after putting forth a tremendous four-year run as the head coach at The Newman School in Boston.

In the 2025-26 campaign, Newman went 38–3 overall and captured the New England Basketball League ("NEBL") title, the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council ("NEPSAC") Class AAA crown and the program's first-ever national prep championship.

One of Newman's seniors is the Orange's first verbal pledge in its 2027 class (more on that later). So why leave Newman (an "amazing place," Johnson says) for IMG?

"From a basketball-specific perspective, I can go into any nook and cranny in the world and say this (IMG) is the best place in the world for your basketball student-athlete to develop into a potential NBA player," Johnson told Inside the Loud House in a recent interview.

Johnson, who replaced Sean McAloon as IMG's head coach, noted that he and his wife have two small children, and his wife's parents live in Tampa, Fla. Because of the demands of leading a program like IMG, having family nearby is important.

The Ascenders are often one of the nation's top boys' basketball teams. In 2025-26, IMG went 20–9 overall and finished No. 22 nationally, per ESPN. However, the Ascenders didn't qualify for the season-ending Chipotle Nationals in Fishers, Ind., although Johnson says he loves his 2026-27 roster, which includes a Syracuse recruiting target in the 2028 class.

IMG's new head coach dishes on Syracuse, Gerry McNamara, Ryan Moesch and more.

IMG had been a member of the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League Scholastic ("EYBL Scholastic"), but in 2025-26, the Ascenders were no longer part of that prep conference.

In the upcoming campaign, the EYBL Scholastic will have 15 members, all of which are Nike-sponsored schools. Some of the schools that were in the conference last season but have since moved on are sponsored by Adidas. IMG, meanwhile, has a partnership with Under Armour.

Inside the Loud House has heard rumblings that another high school super league might be forming at some point to compete with the EYBL Scholastic. Johnson declined to comment on whether IMG might be part of this new league, if it happens, but he did say that no matter what, the Ascenders will have an an appealing and challenging national schedule in 2026-27.

IMG has yet to release its docket for the upcoming campaign, but Johnson says the Ascenders will compete in top-flight events and showcases. The goal, naturally, is to be among the nation's elite and get to the Chipotle Nationals come next spring.

In recent weeks, Inside the Loud House spoke to numerous high school hoops analysts and coaches to get a sense of which programs will likely be legit contenders to win a national title in 2026-27. Of all the experts that Inside the Loud House spoke to, IMG's name came up a whole lot.

Let's delve into the Ascenders' 2026-27 roster. One transfer into IMG is 2028 five-star wing/small forward Will Brunson, who holds an offer from McNamara and his SU staff. Brunson took an unofficial visit to the 'Cuse last December.

Word recently broke that 2028 five-star power forward Bentley Lusakueno is transferring to the Ascenders. IMG's loaded roster also includes 2027 four-star forward Josh Leonard, 2027 five-star wing Jordan Page, 2028 five-star center Dylan Betts, 2027 four-star shooting guard Lucai Anderson (the younger brother of NBA player Christian Anderson Jr.) and 2027 four-star shooting guard Malik Olajuwon, who is the son of NBA legend and Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon.

Needless to say, the Ascenders have supreme talent on their roster for the upcoming season, and Johnson says the ultimate objectives for 2026-27 are to win a lot of games, get an invite to the Chipotle Nationals and cut down the nets as national champs.

Johnson has some connections to the 'Cuse. Jack Donohue, a three-star wing from Albany, N.Y., is a senior at Newman and represents SU's first verbal commit in the team's 2027 class.

While McNamara was still leading Siena, he and assistant Ben Lee were recruiting Donohue, and that continued this past spring when McNamara was named the Orange's new head coach, with Lee and several other Siena assistants following him to the Hill.

"It's a beautiful marriage," Johnson says of Donohue pledging to Syracuse basketball.

Johnson says that he's "really close" with McNamara and regularly speaks with Lee. When SU officials hired McNamara to lead the 'Cuse in March, Johnson's reaction was, "I was pretty thrilled for him. ... I think it could be amazing. ... I think he’s going to prove the doubters wrong and the people right."

One player on the Syracuse basketball 2026-27 roster that Johnson raved about is freshman point Ryan Moesch. The Chittenango, N.Y., native spent two seasons at the Cushing Academy in Ashburnham, Mass., and he faced Johnson-led Newman several times.

"He's a ball-player," Johnson said of Moesch.

Over the past handful of years, multiple prospects who suited up at IMG on the national team or the post-grad group went on to play for Syracuse basketball, such as sophomore forward Sadiq White Jr., Donnie Freeman, Benny Williams, Jesse Edwards, Justin Taylor and Quadir Copeland.

Given that Johnson has a strong relationship with McNamara and his staff, the IMG to the 'Cuse pipeline could certainly continue in the future. The Orange is pursuing Brunson, and it wouldn't be a surprise if Syracuse basketball recruits other Ascenders. Look for SU coaches to travel to the Sunshine State for an IMG open gym after the fall recruiting period opens up next month, Johnson says.

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