Prospect Spotlight: Jadon Jones 2020
With the 2019-20 high school basketball regular season set to get underway, one player who is looking to raise his stock is Jadon Jones of St. Anthony. Jones is a senior who is entering his second year with the Saints…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingWith the 2019-20 high school basketball regular season set to get underway, one player who is looking to raise his stock is Jadon Jones of St. Anthony.
Jones is a senior who is entering his second year with the Saints after transferring from Cantwell Sacred Heart. He had a big summer playing AAU with West Coast Elite and it’s helped him garner awareness from various Division 1 colleges.
As of now, Jones holds a pair of offers from Sacramento State and Northern Arizona, and he’s heard from a few other schools. He’s confident that with a big year, he’ll be able to get a couple more offers.
“I’ve been contacted by Long Beach State, UC Irvine, Dartmouth,” Jones told Prep Hoops. “There’s been a few schools but I feel like I can get more.”
Narrowing down a list of college choices, and then ultimately choosing a school is a tough decision for high school players. Despite the cliché, it really ends up being one of the toughest decisions they’ll make in life.
Finding the right fit is no easy task for a player. There are often quite a bit of variables that go into choosing a school. For Jones, he’s got a few things he’ll be looking for when that time does come.
“Just a school that’s really going to help me develop. A school that’s going to allow me to play my style of play,” Jones said. “Also a good culture and foundation for me so that hopefully, I can take my game to the next level.”
Jones has developed into a very versatile player throughout his high school career. He stands at 6-foot-5 and can do a little bit of everything on the court. Offensively, he can put the ball on the floor and attack off the dribble. He gets himself to the rim and can finish with contact. He can also step out and shoot both from mid-range and the three-point line.
Defensively, Jones can guard multiple positions. He has good length and moves his feet well. He has the ability to stay with guards on the perimeter, and he can even body up some bigger players in the paint.
Although he’s a natural wing, he has expanded his game to the point where he can play a little point guard if need be. Improving his playmaking is one of the main things he’s looked to add to his game.
“I’d say my handle. I’ve always been stuck at the wing, but I think I can help bring the ball up, help relieve pressure off the point guard,” Jones said. “But I always try to have my game as complete as possible so I try to work on everything.”
While Jones may be flying a bit under the radar as a prospect, he certainly makes sure that whoever is watching him takes notice. Back in September in a showcase game against Mayfair, Jones often looked like the best player on the court despite the Monsoons sporting Josh Christopher, Dior Johnson, and De’Vontes Cobbs.
Despite the loss for St. Anthony, Jones was able to get to his comfort spots offensively and score with efficiency in that game. He also showed off his versatility defensively, spending time checking Johnson on the perimeter as well as bodying up Christopher in the post.
Jones definitely relishes the challenge against other top players, some of whom are nationally ranked.
“It’s just an everyday game. We’re all in high school, I know what I can do,” Jones said. “Just cause they have the name doesn’t mean anything. I know who I am, a diamond in the rough is still a diamond. I don’t back down from no one. It’s just another game for me.”
And with his final year of high school set to get underway, Jones has one simple goal as to what he wants out of this season.
“Win a ring, that’s the ultimate goal,” Jones said. “It’s as simple as that.”