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Ian Jackson challenges Cooper Flagg for dunk of the year, taking flight against Wake Forest

FaceProfileby:Thomas Goldkamp•01/21/25
Ian Jackson
Photo by Bob Donnan / USA TODAY Sports

There have been some monster dunks in college basketball this season, but North Carolina guard Ian Jackson might have delivered the most fierce one yet.

He did so Tuesday night in a road game at Wake Forest.

Jackson got going with a head of steam up the floor in the first half and sized up Wake Forest defender Hunter Sallis as he careened toward the paint. Then he launched.

The announcers for the game immediately went nuts. Cory Alexander, who had noted the run-out was dangerous, chimed in first.

“I didn’t even know it was that dangerous,” he said. “I knew it was dangerous. Ian Jackson, we talked about dangerous, Ian Jackson elevating over the top of Sallis, who just blocked a shot on the defensive end. This side, no chance going against the elitely talented freshman.”

Ian Jackson has been a revelation so far this season for the Tar Heels, averaging 15.2 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. But it’s the highlight-reel capability he has that is most impressive.

He can change a game on a dime.

“Spectacular dunk by Ian Jackson, at 6-4 getting high in the sky,” announcer Dave O’Brien said. “That was one of the better dunks of the season.”

How good? Well, the broadcast crew debated that. And a dunk by Cooper Flagg came up as a point of comparison.

“OK now, we look at this, and we’ve had the conversation before, Myron Medcalf has been involved,” Alexander said. “Do you put this dunk over the Cooper Flagg dunk against Pittsburgh? You were there on the call for both.”

After very little hesitation but with a slight laugh, Medcalf obliged from his sideline reporting gig.

“I’ll take this one,” he said. “I’ll take this one right here, that was special.”

O’Brien finished off the commentary on Ian Jackson, clearly still shaking his head at the absurdity of what he’d just witnessed.

“Well, let’s put it this way, they were both special,” he said. “They were both spectacular.”

Ian Jackson and North Carolina led 26-23 with 3:50 remaining in the first half at the time of this writing.