NEW YORK, NY — A new look never did anyone wrong.
St. John’s sophomore guard Ian Jackson, nicknamed “Captain Jack,” opted to cut his hair for the first time since seventh grade earlier this week and became the story because of it Saturday afternoon in the Red Storm’s 91-64 win over the Iona Gaels at Madison Square Garden.
“I have been growing my hair since about, probably seventh grade,” Jackson said, providing more details on the decision behind it. “I would say just a fresh start, you know, just a different look.
Just a chance to, I want to say restart or start over, but just, like, to give myself something fresh and something new.”
Fans did not even recognize the Bronx, New York native in pregame shootaround at first glance while both—TNT and TRUTV broadcasts during the game—panned to photos of the six-five guard’s old and new look side-by-side.
In Saturday’s win over Iona to move to 6-3 on the season, St. John’s sophomore guard Ian Jackson, with a new look, recorded 14 points, five rebounds and three assists – Image Credit: St. John’s Men’s Basketball
St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino was one of many of fans of the new look, jokingly revealing his thoughts in Saturday’s postgame alongside Jackson (14 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists) and Oziyah Sellers (19 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist):
“I loved it. I told Ian. He said to me, ‘Stevie Mass (Masiello) told me that, listen, your assist-to-turnover (ratio) is because you can’t see peripheral vision-wise,’ And he asked me, ‘Do you think I should get a haircut?’ I said, ‘Listen, I’ve played in the hippie generation and my teammates and opponents had ponytails down to their rear end and their ankles. I don’t care if you have hair down to your ankles, just you gotta be able to see.”
Sellers added, “It was crazy because nobody recognized him when he came in the locker room the first day. I mean, we all joked as well that now you can see the rim and stuff when he’s finishing and things like that.”
Back-to-back Block Parties hosted by Zuby Ejiofor
At some point opponents will have to begin to think three times instead of twice before stepping up on St. John’s big man Zuby Ejiofor. Or deal with the results.
The senior forward out of Garland, Texas, has gone back-to-back games of recording eight blocks—6 points, 10 rebounds & 8 blocks on Saturday vs. Iona and 15 points, 9 rebounds, & 8 blocks last Saturday vs. Ole Miss.
An astonishing feat in its own, and one Division I Men’s College Basketball has only witnessed on two separate occasions since the beginning of 2014-2015 season—Obinni Anochili-Killen for Marshall in November of 2021 and Ejiofor for St. John’s in December of 2025.
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