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Nate Oats' first full recruiting class is coming together quickly. After making an official visit just this past weekend, 6-4 guard James Jones of Bogan High School in Chicago committed to the Bulls this afternoon.
Jones' recruitment came together quickly, so much so that VerbalCommits doesn't even list a Buffalo offer. When I commented on Twitter that this came together fast, this was the response from one of the coaches at Bogan:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/UBBullRun">@UBBullRun</a> when you're recruited by the Head Coach and made a priority, what else needs to be done?</p>— Mark Lester (@CoachRust) <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachRust/status/656149982815395841">October 19, 2015</a></blockquote>
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Jones looks like a guy who can pour points in, and at 6-4 can bring some height to the Buffalo backcourt. You'll want to click through on some of these snippets to read the full articles, because there's more praise than I highlight here:
Bogan's James Jones is a star on the rise - Sun-Times High School Sports | Sun-Times High School Sports
Bogan guard Luwane Pipkins is the Bengals’ first scoring option and the player other teams are designed to stop.
James Jones is the player whose still untapped potential is the cause for the greatest excitement for the No. 9 Bengals (12-3). Part of the process is understanding the parameters of his role. His coach said his talent is unlimited. "James Jones is probably the most talented player on our team," Bogan coach Arthur Goodwin said. "And he has the most upside of anybody we have."
Boys basketball: Bogan holds off Simeon to win Public League championship - Chicago Tribune
James Jones leads Bogan to a title at Riverside-Brookfield | CSN Chicago
Defending city champion Bogan was led by the spectacular play of Jones, who had multiple high-scoring performances on Sunday against talented teams in Marian Catholic and Kenwood. The 6-foot-3 Jones is already a known mid-major recruit who was consistently dominant scoring the ball at R-B. Of the five biggest scoring performances of the weekend, Jones had three of them, and his biggest outing came with 31 points in the championship game win over Kenwood.
Henricksen: Bogan's James Jones stars at R-B Shootout - Sun-Times High School Sports | Sun-Times High School Sports
Jones, a City/Suburban Hoops Report top 10 player in the Class of 2016 for some time, looked the part of a potential high-major prospect with his play this past weekend. He has the shooting ability from beyond the arc and athleticism in getting to the rim at the 2-guard position that translates. Now it’s a matter of adding some polish to his overall game and decision-making with the ball in his hands.
"He’s the premier 2-guard in the state with size, athleticism and with the way he shoots the ball," says Goodwin. "He’s a better shooter than [current UMass guard] Pipkins. It’s just no one knows about it. He’s the most talented player to come through Bogan."
Basketball recruiting: James Jones comfortable in spotlight for Bogan - Chicago Tribune
Goodwin said his phone has been ringing with calls about Jones all off-season, and that's not likely to stop any time soon. St. Louis, Kansas State, Minnesota, Arkansas and DePaul are involved, and he has offers from Illinois State, Loyola, Northern Illinois, Detroit and Massachusetts, Goodwin said.
I can't find video on Jones right now, but I may yet. He joins PF Quate McKinzie and PG Jalen Harris in Oats' first class. The Bulls still have one space open.