The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

KAI Jones continues his meteoric rise up the recruiting charts for the class of 2019 and his exposure at elite showcases continues to garner attention from scouts, coaches and major NCAA Division I programmes.

Jones was invited to the NBA's Global Camp in Treviso, Italy, last weekend 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 1-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.

Jonathan Givony of Draft Express was also high on Jones' increasing recruiting stock.

"Kai Jones from the Bahamas definitely making a name for himself at the NBA Global Camp in Treviso. Has almost no online footprint in the US, but looks like one of the best long term prospects here," he tweeted. "Long and athletic, can handle, shoot and has terrific defensive instincts."

The event was pre-Draft showcase from at La Ghirada Sports Center for top Draft-eligible prospects from outside the US.

The camp included team interview sessions, five-on-five games, shooting drills, and strength and agility testing in front of representatives from all 30 NBA teams, all under the direction of NBA personnel.

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.

Nineteen of the 40 Draft-eligible prospects who are expected to attend the NBA Global Camp 2018 participated as campers in Basketball Without Borders (BWB), the NBA and FIBA's global basketball community and outreach programme that has seen more than 50 former campers drafted into the NBA or signed as free agents.

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.

"It was a great experience, with great competition, their level is really high and it's fun to play against some of the best players in the world. I've just been trying to get better and learn everything I can and soak up every piece of information from these coaches," Jones said during the camp.

"The quickness really stands out. These guys are really fast and the speed of play is really fast but it's easy to adjust to, once you play for the first five minutes you get used to it. When I rebound and I block shots I realise it's not as tough as it looks because some of these guys are jumping out the gym."

As quickly as he adjusted to the pace and style of play at Basketball Without Borders, Jones has done the same in the US and has set the stage for a senior season that should garner even more NCAA Division I offers.

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.

The offers continue to stockpile for Jones with the latest coming from the Ole Miss Rebels and Illinois Fighting Illini.

Jones has previously picked up offers from, Georgetown, Virginia Commonwealth University and Florida Gulf Coast University following his performance with on "Team Brakdown" at the Under Armour Association circuit in Dallas, Texas.