Prospect Watch: Dezi Jones (2019)
Class of 2019 guard Dezi Jones of Hannibal is usually the smallest player on the court, but he usually puts up the biggest numbers.
That was the case for the 5’9″ Jones during a junior season in which he was one of the state’s leading scorers and earned Class 4 All-State honors in the process. Jones has been getting some recruiting interest from local schools such as Quincy University and John Wood Community College, plus some other NAIA programs.
As a junior, Jones averaged 28.2 points a game for the Pirates while setting a new school single-season scoring record with more than 700 points. He also set the single game scoring record last season on Jan. 19 when he scored a career-high 47 points in a victory over Marshall. In that game, he scored 16 points in the final four minutes.
Jones has a formidable combination of quickness and the ability to make shots, whether he’s driving to the basket or stopping on the dime to knock down jumpers. He is a blur in the open court and his 3-point shooting will keep defenders honest.
“I try to use my quickness to my advantage and I know how do read defenses pretty well,” Jones said. “I’m good at creating space to get shots and my teammates do a great job of getting me the basketball.”
Jones had the opportunity to test his skills against top players in the region during the summer while playing with the Knights Basketball Academy 17U team. He had a very productive month of July in the Adidas Three Stripes Tournament and Jayhawk Summer Finale.
“I just wanted to show people what I could do,” Jones said. “I’m still trying to get better every day. I want to get bigger and stronger and hopefully be an even better finisher at the rim.”