Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
Tyus Jones Talks Visits, Future Decision and Packages
By JACK LEGWINSpecial to ZAGSBLOGORLANDO, Fla.- Tyus Jones was the guy everyone was there to see, and he didn’t disappoint.
The 6-foot-1, 171-pound point guard led Howard Pulley to a 64-61 win over Bonzie Colson and BABC on Wednesday night in the 17U Gold Super Showcase at the Wide World of Sports.
Ranked No. 2 in the country in the Class of 2014 by Rivals.com, and No. 3 by ESPN, Jones took the floor in front of Duke assistant Nate James, Minnesota head coach Richard Pitino, Kansas coach Bill Self, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo and assistants from Ohio State, UCLA and Baylor.
The only visit Jones currently has scheduled is Baylor in late August. His connection there is that Jared Nunness, Baylor’s Director of Player Development, is his cousin.
Still, he plans on taking all of his visits coming up soon, with a decision coming soon thereafter.
“I plan on taking all of my visits in the fall,”Jones told SNY.tv. “I plan on making my decision at the end of the fall.”
Jones continues to discuss a package deal with Jahlil Okafor and possibly Justise Winslow.
“All of the coaches know we are doing a package deal [with Okafor], so they don’t have to stress it much,” Jones said. “It would be great, Winslow and Okafor are two great friends of mine off the court, but we play together well on the court as well, so it would mean a lot from that standpoint. [If it does happen] it will mean that it is the right fit for all of us.”
As first reported by SNY.tv, Winslow recently picked up a scholarship offer from Kentucky, meaning it is at least theoretically possible the trio could land in Lexington.
Still, Duke remains the clubhouse favorite with Baylor, Kansas, Michigan State and Ohio State also in the mix for a Jones/Okafor package.
“It would be great for that to happen. But I’m on a different path, so are Jahlil and Tyus,” Winslow told SNY.tv of the package deal in general. “But if all of those pieces fall together, that would be great. It’s something that we are talking about, but I’m not 100 percent on it like they are.”
Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle.
A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013.
He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.