The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

ELITE NCAA Division I programmes continue to pursue Bahamian prep basketball player Kai Jones and his list of offers continues to grow with increased exposure.

The Syracuse Orangemen were the latest school to offer Jones, following his performance on the Under Armour grassroots basketball circuit.

Jones finished with 18 points and seven rebounds to help lead Team Breakdown to a win over Team Felton at the Under Armour Challenge in Atlanta, Georgia.

The 6'11, 200 pound forward has received offers from Arizona, Georgetown, Ole Miss, Illinois, Louisville, Miami (Florida), Rhode Island, South Florida, Texas, Vanderbilt, Virginia Commonwealth and Florida Gulf Coast.

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

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

Jones moved to the US following a summer of career milestones, including his junior national team debut and an invitation to the NBA Basketball Without Borders Americas Camp, hosted in the Bahamas.

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.

ESPN's Fran Fraschilla took to Twitter to recognise Jones as one of the surprising overachievers at the camp. "6-11 Bahamian Kai Jones blew me away today at NBA Global Camp. Length and athleticism and energy. Great kid too. Not a one-and-done but NBA future," he said.

Fraschilla currently serves as a studio analyst for ESPN's college basketball programming and also covers the NBA Draft, focusing mostly on international players. The event was a pre-Draft showcase at La Ghirada Sports Center for top Draft-eligible prospects from outside the US.

The camp also featured a series of scrimmages among prospects from NBA Academies, the league's network of elite basketball training centres around the world for top male and female prospects from outside the US, along with a team from Basketball Australia's Centre of Excellence and top international prospects.

ESPN's Jonathan Givony offered his analysis of Jones' performance at the event and listed him as an international select standout.

"Jones, who grew up running track and field between seventh and 10th grade, has grown five inches in the past two years, and is still at a very early stage of development compared to most of his peers. Nevertheless, it is difficult not to be excited about the long-term potential he possesses considering his impressive frame, long arms, excellent athleticism and surprisingly versatile skill set. Jones can shoot the ball spotting up and off the dribble, has solid ballhandling skills and showed significant potential defensively with his combination of length, mobility and excellent instincts getting in the passing lanes and protecting the rim. He switches onto guards, sitting down in a stance and moving his feet with long rangy strides," he said. "After skipping a grade in high school, Jones is on track to do a post-graduate year at the well-respected Brewster Academy in New Hampshire. Expect him to go from lightly recruited three-star prospect to a hot name in high school circles very soon."