Former No. 1 Overall Recruit Blasts Coaches In Social Media Rant Following Close Loss

GG Jackson hypes up the crowd.

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GG Jackson is growing frustrated in Columbia. The former No. 1 overall recruit blasted the South Carolina coaching staff after a close loss to Arkansas.

Jackson took to social media to voice his displeasure with not getting the ball in the final moments of the defeat. Those comments have now gone viral.

The Gamecocks dropped a 65-63 contest to the Razorbacks on Saturday, the program’s seventh straight loss under first-year head coach Lamont Paris. In what’s been a disappointing debut, Paris’s squad sits in the cellar of the SEC standings at 1-9 in league play.

Saturday’s matchup was particularly deflating as the Gamecocks overcame a double-digit lead in the second half. South Carolina battled back in a contest they’d trailed in throughout, and they had a chance to win on the last possession.

The team found itself down by a single point with 30 seconds remaining in action. Rather than drawing up a play to get top player GG Jackson the ball, the Gamecocks went to Hayden Brown, who missed a go-ahead layup.

After the game, Jackson posted his displeasure with the coaching staff in a video on his social media account.

“Why don’t I have the ball in crunch time? Just give me that mf’er. I’m not even getting plays drawn up for me in crunch time.”

Jackson tallied nine points and seven boards in the loss to Arkansas, finishing fourth on the team in scoring. He obviously believes he should’ve been the focal point of the offense, particularly down the stretch.

On the year, the former five-star recruit is averaging just under 16 points a night but he wasn’t utilized as much as he would’ve liked in the latest contest.

After seeing the comments go viral online, he apologized in a message to coaches and teammates.

First, I want to apologize to Coach Paris, all of my teammates, and the University of South Carolina. After reflecting on my behavior yesterday, I want to apologize for acting out in emotions and the comments I made on live after the game. Being that I am very passionate about the team and the game, I unfortunately took my frustration out in a very inappropriate manner.

My behavior yesterday was not a reflection of my character. Going forward, I will move in a more mature and positive direction. I am extremely proud of my team with yesterday’s performance. We will take yesterday’s performance as momentum to get even better. Again, I apologize.

Drama was on full display, though GG Jackson did reassure South Carolina fans later in his rant by saying he was leaning towards returning to Columbia for his sophomore season.

We’ll see if he gets more involved in the Gamecocks’ next outing.