The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

THE much-anticipated recruiting process for Kai Jones has come to an end and the Bahamian prep superstar basketball player has committed to the University of Texas.

Jones made the announcement last night and became the second commitment for head coach Shaka Smart for the upcoming Fall 2019 class.

Jones, a consensus four-star recruit, chose the Longhorns over the Florida State Seminoles and Baylor Bears. He becomes the latest Bahamian player to join either Longhorns basketball programme following Locksley Collie (1989-91), Dexter Cambridge (1990 - 92), Shaquille Cleare (2015 - 17) and Lashann Higgs (2015 – present). “Texas showed serious interest in me before everything blew up in the summer. Coach Smart personally recruited me and expressed his interest in getting me to Texas. The basketball programme and the academics are highly regarded and I felt that it would be a great next step for me,” Jones said.

“I’m a very athletic player who plays with high energy and motor. I’m also very aggressive on both ends of the floor with a winning attitude and mentality.”

He was one of 11 new prospects on the list for ESPN’s latest updated rankings for the class of 2019. The 6’10”, 195-pound forward/centre has been listed at No.45 overall with a grade of 88.

Jones’ ESPN analysis reads: “An extremely athletic post player who is just scratching the surface of his ability. A hard working and active big man who shows touch facing the basket all the way to the three-point line. Offensively he is more comfortable and effective playing a face up game in space.”

In addition to the aforementioned schools, Jones received offers from some of the most elite Division I programmes in the NCAA, including Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa State, Oregon, Stanford, Syracuse, Vanderbilt and others.

A 4.0 student in the classroom, Jones transferred to Brewster Academy in Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire, this academic year after spending the last season at Orlando Christian Prep in Orlando, Florida.

In his lone season with the Warriors in Orlando, the team finished the season at 21-9 and claimed the Class 3A boys basketball state championship.

“I attribute that growth to my parents, my mom and dad holding me down. My mom would pray on countless nights and my dad would always be a source of motivation. My trainer/ strength and conditioning coach would work out with me every day. I would wake up at 4:45am, go to the gym, shoot, lift from 6am to 7am, go to school, practice after school, go play pickup then after practice go play pickup,” he said.

“It was just the work that I knew I had to do and I did that same routine every single day. It wasn’t two times a week, it wasn’t when I felt good, it wasn’t when we had a warm, sunny day, it wasn’t ‘oh we don’t have a game tomorrow’... it was every single day. The morning after games, the morning after late night studying, I just had a consistent routine that I stuck with and that’s why I feel like my game transformed so quickly.”

Jones continues his meteoric rise up the recruiting charts for the class of 2019.

Earlier this summer, he was invited to the NBA’s Global Camp in Treviso, Italy, and made an impression on some of the most notable names in the industry.

Bahamians will have an opportunity to see Jones in action at home this fall when Brewster Academy participates in the Caribbean Tip-Off Classic, November 2-4.