Coach Tom Crean didn't miss a beat on the recruiting trail, landing his second big-time commitment in the same number of days in 6'4", 165 lb point guard
Verdell Jones out of Champaign, Ill. Jones is Crean's fifth commitment for 2008, joining Matt Roth, Tom Pritchard, Nick Williams, and Devan Dumes.
Jones formed a relationship with current IU assistant coach Tim Buckley when he was at Marquette, and took an unofficial visit to IU in mid-April to get a feeling for Buckley and Crean's new school.
Three-star point guard Verdell Jones committed to IU tonight
Turns out he liked what he saw, and he liked what Crean and Buckley had to offer. He announced his commitment to IU this evening at a 5:00pm press conference in Champaign.
Jones was one of the highest-touted 2008 recruits still uncommitted before today. Rated as a three-star prospect by Rivals.com, Jones is ranked 127th in the Rivals.com Top 150 and is the 26th-rated point guard. While these rankings are all relative, he brings considerable talent and a lot of upside to his position. He averaged 17.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 4.9 assists for Champaign Central.
Phog.net lists Jones' strengths as "ability to create, ballhandling, and passing" and his weaknesses as "decision making, perimeter shooting, and strength." In other words, almost the exact opposite of Eric Gordon (sorry, cheap shot). His skills at the point are a huge addition for a team that has been over-flowing with talented shooting guards, but with no natural distributor at point. His court vision will make the entire team better, and he could possibly come right into the starting spot, probably splitting minutes with returning sophomore Jordan Crawford or JUCO transfer Devan Dumes.
Needless to say, a team that had completely fallen apart at the seams this season seems to be growing some teeth for next year, and definitely for 2009. Crean has developed an extremely deep and balanced class this year that may seem somewhat short on Rivals.com stars but is not short on upside. If Crean keeps up at this pace, many fans may be reconsidering season tickets for next year.
Discuss Jones' future at IU in the forums.
Related links:
http://iuplanet.com/forum/iuplanet-h...rest-high.html
MidStateHoops.com :: Verdell Jones III Player Profile
Scout.com: Verdell Jones Profile
Verdell Jones - Basketball Recruiting
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