MU secures first 2021 basketball commitment
The Marquette men's basketball team has secured the first commitment for its 2021 recruiting class.
Kameron Jones, a 6-foot-4 guard from Evangelical Christian in Cordova, Tennessee, announced Tuesday he has decided to attend MU.
“I felt like Marquette's coaching staff made it known that they wanted and needed me,” Jones said. “And
I wanted to be at a place where I'm wanted and needed. So from that standpoint, it was a no-brainer.”
It seemed like a whirlwind recruiting courtship, with Jones receiving a scholarship offer from the Golden Eagles in late May. But Evangelical Christian head coach Willie Jenkins and Golden Eagles associate head coach Dwayne Killings played together at the University of Massachusetts and last summer Jenkins brought his team to MU's camp. The Golden Eagles' coaches were intrigued by Jones' potential and stayed in touch with the prospect.
“I just follow basketball and thought (MU) was a great fit for the young man,” Jenkins said. “The way they play, that's his kind of style.
“You got a major coach like Wojo (Steve Wojciechowski) that's going to hold him accountable as a man with Killings and the coaching staff.”
The left-handed Jones is an under-the-radar recruit. 247 Sports is
the only recruiting service to rank Jones, slotting him at No. 101 in the class on a recent update. But the grassroots season was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, denying prospects a chance to showcase their skills in front of college coaches. Jones had offers from mid-major schools such as South Alabama, Evansville and Tennessee Tech before high majors MU and Florida started to pursue him in the past month.
Jones plays AAU ball with Team Thad, one of the top programs in the Memphis area that was started by NBA player Thaddeus Young.
“He was going to be on the EYBL circuit (this summer),” Jenkins said. “I think his recruitment was going to go through the roof.”
Jones, however, liked what he heard from MU and wanted to commit.
“In life, I feel like if you get an opportunity that is not 100% for certain that you’ll get again, I feel like you should just jump on it,” Jones said. “With Marquette, it was just one of those opportunities I didn’t want to go to waste.”
Jones averaged 20.4 points per game as a junior and led Evangelical Christian to the semi-finals of the Tennessee Division II-A boys state tournament.
“Kam is a natural scorer,” Jenkins said. “He can really score. But the beauty about Kam is his IQ of the game and his passing ability. He can really see the floor.
“I play him at the point, but the offense we run is kind of a college offense where multiple people can play the point. So whoever gets (the ball) comes out in the pickand-roll and things like that. He would come to me and say ‘Hey, coach, what do you think about this right here?’ And I’d say ‘Hey, let’s do it.’ Really high IQ.”
Jones is the son of an Air Force sergeant who describes himself as “laid back” off the court.
“Somebody you can always talk to if you need to,” Jones said. “Very trustworthy person.”
MU will lose seniors Koby McEwen, Jamal Cain and Theo John after next season. The Golden Eagles also have two scholarship slots open for next year’s roster that could carry over to the 2021 class.
“I’m ready to get up there,” Jones said.