The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMIAN prep basketball player Kai Jones notched another milestone in his career with a national championship title.

Jones’ Brewster Academy Bobcats claimed the 2019 National Prep School Championship title with a 67-51 win over Scotland Campus (Pennsylvania).

The Bobcats won their fourth game in less than 36 hours to capture the National Championship, their sixth title since 2010.

They entered the tournament as the No.8 overall seed and opened with an 81-71 win over IMG Academy. In the quarter-final, Jones finished with 14 points, including a pivotal three pointer with under a minute left to play, in an 82-80 win over Woodstock Academy. In the semi-final, Brewster scored a 91-73 win over Massanutten Military.

They finished the season with a record of 34-7.

Brewster has also won six NEPSAC Class AAA Championships since 2008. Over the past 12 seasons, the programme has averaged over 30 victories per year (364-57) and had a winning percentage over .864. Brewster has captured eight regular-season NEPSAC Class AAA Championships since 2008.

The programme has advanced to the National Final Four nine times since 2008.

Sixteen Brewster alumni have played in the NBA, while 50+ others have had professional careers in leagues around the world, including the NBA G League. Ten alumni have been selected in the NBA Draft since 2010.

The much-anticipated recruiting process for Jones came to an end in October when he committed to the Texas Longhorns for the Fall 2019 campaign.

Jones, a consensus four-star recruit, chose the Longhorns over the Florida State Seminoles and Baylor Bears. He became the fifth 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.

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.

Last 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. He last competed at home in November when Brewster Academy participated in November’s Caribbean Tip-Off Classic.