Terrence Jones

In the Times yesterday, Jerry Brewer had a column entitled, Terrence Jones of Portland Jefferson Would be a Gem for the Huskies, and Percy Allen wrote in his blog that Jones “dazzled” at yesterday’s King Holiday Hoopfest.

Jones was clearly the best player on the court during his 22 point, nine rebound, eight block performance in Jefferson’s 62-58 not-as-close-as-the-score-would-indicate win over Washington’s #1 ranked Federal Way.

And I would be THRILLED — dancing in my living room thrilled — if Jones chose to play at UW.

I was most impressed by Jones’ length. At one point, on a Jefferson full court press, he fully extended his arms out and looked like a stalking middle linebacker while cutting off a huge passing lane.

But here’s what the glowing reviews of his play left out. . .

While he dominated the boards, using his Inspector Gadget arms to grab any rebound in his vicinity, the biggest and most talented player on the court (by 2-3 inches) didn’t always make a beeline to the ball when a shot went up either. Maybe others saw it differently, but I didn’t get the sense that Jones at this point is much of a get-your-hands-dirty kind of player.

His effort looked good when going to hole or trying to swat a shot, but I didn’t see quite enough hustle when there wasn’t a potential highlight waiting for him.

Jones also expressed frustration with teammates’ mistakes a number of times, which is something I’m so proud to say you don’t see a lot of out of the Huskies. For Jones, it’s likely a manifestation of being so much more gifted than the players around him, but it’s an unsavory characteristic nonetheless.

This is quibbling, but a college coach will likely tell Jones to either work on his three-point shot until it becomes a strength, or stop shooting it. Jones may fancy himself a guard, but his game says “forward” to me, and his jump shot (beyond-the-arc, and in front of it) needs work.

There’s no question Jones is going to be a great college player, and likely, a terrific NBA baller one day. And, like I said, I hope the Huskies get him.

But the hopeful replacement for Quincy Pondexter (about as likable a player as there is) just didn’t manage to worm his way into my heart in a single high school game the way I thought (and hoped) he might.

I do hope for both Jones and the Huskies that Terrence decides to play at Montlake. Coach Romar is no doubt capable of molding a selfless, humble warrior out of Jones, a player who has all the tools to go as far as he wants to in the game.

In a couple of days, you’ll be able to check out the Jefferson/Federal Way game for yourself on Comcast On-Demand. (Or, at least that’s what was announced at the game.) Would love to hear your thoughts on Jones as well!

Thanks for coming!

The King Holiday Hoopfest takes place all day today at Hec Ed. I’m going to take advantage of having the holiday off and go watch some top-flight high school hoops.

The matchup of most interest to Husky fans is likely to be the 6 PM game between the top team in Washington, Federal Way, and Portland’s Jefferson High School with their star Terrence Jones.

Jones is a top 25 recruit who has listed the Huskies among his top five teams for quite a while now. Jones likely won’t announce his decision until the spring, but this is your chance to see him up close.

Here’s the press release on the event, including ticket prices and the full slate of games.

Thanks for coming!

Zagsblog is reporting that Terrence Jones is likely to wait until the spring to sign his letter of intent.

The early signing period ends tomorrow, and Jones’ mom told Zagsblog that unless he has a breakthrough, he’ll wait until spring.

This doesn’t mean he won’t announce a decision at some point between now and the spring signing period (which begins April 14, 2010, and continues through May 19), but he’ll have to wait until spring to sign his letter of intent.

I get more emails and comments asking my thoughts on Jones than any other topic (except maybe Scott Suggs, this week!). If I had to guess how this will shake out, I think it’s going to be Oregon. Two reasons:

1. The Ducks are probably going to be good: Not Pac-10 championship good, but good enough to prove that the program is on the upswing. With a bunch of talented young players, Jones might see a chance to bring Oregon to the Final Four.

2. Jones strikes me as the type of kid who might want to be near home: I just get a feeling. He seems really close with his mom (she generally speaks to the media on his behalf). There’s something about the process that’s made me think he’s leaning toward staying close. If this is the case, it puts UW in the second-best position. If Oregon, for some reason, isn’t good, or Ernie Kent gets fired, maybe UW is the compromise where Terrence goes to a program in good shape, while still staying close.

That’s the latest. More as I hear it.

Thanks for coming!

In an article run on Scout.com’s pay site, Terrence Jones told recruiting analyst Evan Daniels that, now that he’s returned from UCLA, he’s going to decide this evening. . . whether to sign in the early period (this Wednesday through next Wednesday) or the regular signing period (April 14, 2010 – May 19, 2010).

Waiting until the springtime would give Jones more time to decide, of course, and would prolong the drama for several more months, potentially. Jones could also announce at any point between now and the regular signing period, electing to give one of his five final schools a verbal commitment without putting his name to a letter of intent.

More on this as I have it.

Thanks for coming!