Recruiting Report: Samm Jones (2016)
November 10th Update DeLaSalle point guard Samm Jones is now the senior leader of the Islander program that is so rich in history. Jones joins fellow seniors Kevin Wesseh, Cole Tesch-Stevson, and potentially a couple others as the senior leaders.…
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Continue ReadingNovember 10th Update
DeLaSalle point guard Samm Jones is now the senior leader of the Islander program that is so rich in history. Jones joins fellow seniors Kevin Wesseh, Cole Tesch-Stevson, and potentially a couple others as the senior leaders.
Along with them will be junior Goanar Mar, sophomore Gabe Kalscheuer, junior Will Irvin, and much youth that is a heavy favorite to win a fifth state title in a row. So far, the year is off to a nice start.
“Things have been going well,” Jones said. “I've been doing some physical therapy for my knee that's been bothering me all summer and I'm feeling healthier now than I have in awhile.
“The team is definitely motivated to prove itself. We got some underclassmen hungry and ready to work like Malik Lamin and Christian Dickson.”
Jones sees this team working very well together as a unit.
“This year’s team has better chemistry top to bottom I think. This year our ball movement and team defense is going to help us separate from other teams and hopefully do something that's never been done before.”
That “something that has never been done before” is winning five titles in a row. The Islanders did lose Sacar Anim to Marquette, Jeff Daubanton to Biar Cliff, Josh Collins to North Dakota, and Jarvis Johnson to Minnesota but they bring back way more talent than any team in Class AAA. The Islanders will be tested early by a tough non-conference slate.
“We graduated four starters so we have to play a lot of unexperienced players,” said Jones. “We don't expect everything to go smooth from the start, and we have a super tough schedule.
“But Coach Thorson does a great job of pointing out weaknesses and I expect us to improve more than most teams in the state from start to finish. We think we can win another championship if we just work to get better everyday.”
Jones is looking at a lot of different options for playing at the next level. He explained where he is at in the process.
“I've visited Amherst (MA) and Winona State this fall. I’m not ot expecting to decide until later on. I just got home from the Concordia-St. Paul and St Thomas game where I caught up with both staffs briefly after the game.
“Besides those four schools, St.Olaf, Minot State, and Briar Cliff regularly check in. U of Boston stopped in for Goanar and Gabe a few weeks ago but are still looking for a guard and said as long as that doesn't change and I haven't committed they will keep their eyes on me.
“I still check in with Brady Rudrud regularly about his recruitment as well because we have some mutual interest in schools and the possibility of playing together at the next level.”
Rudrud and Jones were longtime teammates on the Minnesota Heat.
August 25th Update (RJ)
Samm Jones loves his programs. Regardless if its DeLaSalle or Minnesota Heat, the DeLaSalle guard is fully invested in the clubs he is a part of. Jones loved his team with the Minnesota Heat.
“This summer I probably improved moving without the ball and facilitating more efficiently by cutting down on turnovers,’ Samm said.
“Since (Grassroots) ends I been trying to improve as a spot up shooter and I think it's going well. My (Grassroots) experience was amazing.
“Great group of guys, kept the core together for all three years and hopefully longer with one of those guys. Willie and the Heat organization are fantastic people and get you better definitely.”
Jones, Goanar Mar, and Gabe Kalscheur are now in charge of moving the Islander program into the future after four seniors graduated with four state titles. They are once again the favorites and the summer was good.
“I had a good summer with my high school team. Things went a lot better than expected and I'm excited for our team this year and to be able to be point guard of DeLaSalle finally.
“I learned a lot from Jarvis and got big shoes to fill. To meet my goals I just need to show coaches that my jump shot is improved and I can be a scorer in the half court because this summer surrounded by amazing shooters I really focused on facilitating.”
You can bet that Coach Dave Thorson will show Jones the right away as an Islander improving his game in whatever way he can. Thorson is also helping Samm with scheduling things for the next level.
“Coach Thorson is working on setting up visits out East at Princeton and Lafayette,” Samm said.
“Briar Cliff and Minot State are on me the most, both wanting to set up visits. And Minnesota-Duluth has picked up their interest as of late and I am possibly going down there in September. In an ideal situation (I will go down) the same weekend that Brady (Rudrud) does.”
Update from 8/11/15 by Alex Conover
Samm Jones’ recruitment is in an interesting spot, and it could go in several different directions at this point.
Here’s what we know: Samm carries a very high GPA and an ACT in the 30s, so he may not need an athletic scholarship to help pay for college. He’s an explosive athlete from one of the best (if not the best) high school program in Minnesota, and, to this point, he currently holds no scholarship offers.
“At the end of the day, if I like the basketball and it's a good financial situation, I will go,” Jones said. “I don't necessarily need an athletic scholarship, because I could just as easily get academic scholarships. I might even look into walking on at a bigger school if I get a good enough academic scholarship, but I want to end up in the best overall situation I can get… so unless something comes up soon, I probably won't be deciding till next spring on where I'm going.”
Jones visited St. Thomas recently and really liked it, and he may also visit St. Olaf and/or Carleton, two high-academic MIACs. He’s been invited to elite camps at Wayne State and Sioux Falls, and he also still talks to University of Mary (where his brother attended) and Winona State on a weekly basis. DeLaSalle coach Dave Thorson also speaks to schools like Harvard, Princeton, and Penn quite often, according to Jones, and he anticipates contact from them during the school season.
Regardless of how things turn out, as a high-character athlete with great academics, he will have plenty of options.
“Thorson said if the D1 stuff doesn't work out, he will for sure get me in connection with schools like U of Chicago and Amherst,” Jones said. “But I’m not ruling out D2 by any means.”
April 29th 2015 update
DeLaSalle has won four straight state titles. We are all quite familiar. But with the loss of so many senior scholarship players there has to be a let down, right?
That’s something that a person can roll their eyes at. Sure there is a lot of talent lost from the Islanders, obviously, but all of the other good teams in Class AAA lost most of their line-up too. In addition, DeLaSalle has young stars like Goanar Mar and Gabe Kalscheur ready to move into big roles.
Oh yes, let’s not forget about Samm Jones, the guy we think is going to explode and have a monster senior season. Samm is a big reason we think the Islanders will win a fifth straight and bridge the gap to be favored to win who knows how many titles.
Jones is getting ready for his final year but leading the Minnesota Heat Vang squad from the point position plus he finds time to run out on the wing and explode for buckets.
“Things are going great,” Samm said about April. “So glad to have Willie back with us because a few months ago I didn't know if we would even have him here at all. His voice is gone so that gives me a lot bigger role in games and at practice having to be the leader communication wise.
“We are a close knit group off the court, the 3 Eden Prairie kids are three of my best friends (Ryan Jacobus, Brady Rudrud, and Nick Geolat). And we definitely have the talent to be one of the top teams this year. And looking back at our first weekend to our third out on court chemistry has improved drastically.”
Jones also has a college decision to make sometime next year. He has some visits coming up.
“I’m taking a visit to St. Olaf this weekend I believe,” said Jones. “And I have been talking every few days with the Winona State coach, and am planning on visiting Northern State sometime this summer hopefully.
“Coach David Thorson has been talking to a lot of Ivy's and prestigious schools out east as well but they are waiting on ACT scores in June before they pick up the recruiting effort Thorson said.”
Update from 7/28/14
There’s something to be said for a school being the first program to really pursue a prospect. For Samm Jones (#49 in NHR’s class of 2016 rankings), D1 program UNC-Greensboro will stick in his mind as the recruiting process develops.
First, Jones got a call from coach Mike Roberts last week. Roberts told the athletic DeLaSalle/Heat guard that he liked what he saw at the Adidas Invitational in Indianapolis. Then, a load of mail arrived at Jones’ front door on Monday, all from Greensboro.
“Even though I was looking to go to school closer to home,” Jones told NHR, “I always told myself that the first school to start recruiting will have a better chance of getting me because they are the first school to recognize my game and hard work. It's easy to recruit talent that has already been discovered and pointed out. So the fact that they're the first school to really show this kind of interest is for sure giving them an upper hand down the road.”
The only other school to be in contact with Jones is the University of Mary, an NSIC program that just graduated guard Jalen Jaspers — Jones’ brother and a fellow DeLaSalle graduate.
Jones remembers his older brother enjoying success with DeLaSalle. Now, as a junior, he will look to get his own time to shine on a stacked depth chart.
“I remember him playing good games against Benilde,” Jones said. “Benilde vs. DeLaSalle games are always good games, it’s a good rivalry. This year I'm more than excited to get my turn to play a bigger role than I did my sophomore year.”
And what about Jaspers’ game compared to the younger brother?
“I look up to his work ethic, but I see the holes in his game since I know him so well,” Jones said. “So I look at his weaknesses and try to make them my strengths. I avoid having the same downsides to my game, but his work ethic is great. I strive for it.”
Jones’ Heat Vang AAU team went 4-1 in the Vegas Finals to wrap up the AAU season.