Recruiting Report: PJ Jones (2018)

For <strong>PJ Jones</strong> (2018), the 6’1” point guard for Grove City High School, it’s not about flashy crossovers and no-look passes. Jones separates himself by controlling the pace, understanding time and situation, and being reliable. It seems that Ohio Dominican University likes what they see in the lefty’s game. “ODU comes often to my open gyms … I love Ohio Dominican. I love the coaching staff. I’m going on a visit here soon, I believe. I think they’re coming to another open gym some time, one more before the season starts. I love everything about ODU so far,” Jones said. What is Jones looking for in a college? “I want to be able to trust the coaches with what they tell me. I want to be able to play the same offense of what I do now, like up-tempo. Kind of do your-own-thing type of thing, still a little structure,” Jones told <em>PHOH. </em> Other than the Panthers program, have any other programs expressed interest thus far? “Ashland texted me last week. My AAU coach told me a little bit ago North Dakota State contacted him. Northwood contacted my AAU coach as well,” Jones said. Also, Jones visited Kent State’s campus last year for their game against Akron. It seems that Jones still strives to be a Division I player. “This AAU season was an awakening one for me. I realized to play D-I, to go where I want to go, I have to work a lot harder. Do other things where coaches will notice me, because I’m not 6’7”,” Jones said, who is in the Ohio Nova program. In combination of travelling with them for the summer, he’s playing in their Fall League right now too. Jones, the 97^th ranked player in Ohio’s class of 2018, is definitely not a liability on the offensive end. He’s someone you can trust with the ball and will finish around the rim. However, the next step in his game is making the defense respect his perimeter scoring. “Last high school season, teams would tend to play off me. So, yeah, I would say [outside shooting is] what I need to work on the most,” Jones said. He’s can be relentless on getting to the cup however. Once he penetrates, he broke down what he’s looking to do with the ball. “I work a lot on finishing at the rim over defenders, with my AAU coach. And you know, I feel like I’m a good distributor when I do get into the lane. If the big man does help over, a little dish off to my post man or something like that.” Along with the outside shot, the junior, who carries a 2.4 GPA, is hoping to improve his leadership and defense.