Exhilarating UNC Basketball Rookie Capitalizes on First Career Start

UNC basketball head coach Hubert Davis checked off a first in his tenure by putting two freshmen in the same starting lineup.

UNC basketball guard Ian Jackson / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

With junior guard Seth Trimble in street clothes on Sunday night due to his upper body injury, UNC basketball freshman Ian Jackson received his first starting nod as a collegian. And the 6-foot-4, 190-pound Bronx showman responded to the opportunity by delivering a stellar outing for the Tar Heels (8-5, 1-0 ACC) in their 97-81 home victory over the Campbell Fighting Camels (5-8, 0-0 CAA).

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Jackson, a former five-star recruit and 2024 McDonald's All-American, tallied a team-high 26 points in impressively efficient fashion. The 19-year-old phenom shot 9-for-16 from the field, 3-for-8 beyond the arc, and 5-for-7 at the foul line, adding five rebounds, one assist, and only one foul, all without committing a single turnover across his career-high 36 minutes on the floor.

The effort followed his 24-point performance in the Tar Heels' 76-74 win over the then-No. 18 UCLA Bruins at the CBS Sports Classic in New York City's Madison Square Garden last week.

His start alongside forward Drake Powell marked the first time that multiple UNC basketball rookies have been part of the starting five in the same game since Caleb Love and Kerwin Walton checked that box versus Wisconsin in the 2021 NCAA Tournament. So, it's the first instance across Hubert Davis' four seasons at the helm.

"He's my brother, man," Ian Jackson said about Drake Powell, also a former five-star McDonald's All-American, following the win. "So, to be able to go through the grind all the way from summertime up to now, and then go ahead and start the game — have coach start us together — it' s great.

"I know how much work he put in. I know how much work I put in."

That work is clearly paying off. Perhaps they both belong in the starting lineup from here on out. However, Hubert Davis would have to get creative to make that happen once Trimble returns from injury.

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