Panther Basketball Recruiting

[valleyalum]

Stephen Jones

http://www.zwire.com/site/index.cfm?newsid=15626364

[joecooll6]

Thanks a lot

[joecooll6]

What do you guys think of Jones? This is honestly the first I heard of him (reading this thread), I totally missed something I guess.

[Panthers to the Bone]

Another name: Josh Jones

http://thebluejaycafe.com/BB/viewtopic.php?t=2757

Jones wants to honor his dad with college, state title

BY CHRIS HARRINGTON

WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER


Not even growing interest from Division I schools like Creighton and Northern Iowa could motivate Josh Jones to get back onto the basketball court earlier this spring.


Josh Jones is hoping to lead Omaha Central to another Class A state title.

Two months after he led Omaha Central to the Class A title in his sophomore season, Jones' bright future became a thick fog with the death of his 57-year-old father, John.

"After my dad passed last month, I cut everybody off, even basketball practice for a few weeks," he said. "And I changed my phone number because I didn't want to be contacted by anyone."

His father's death has led Jones to take on more responsibility with his family, Central coach Eric Behrens said. Josh is left with his mother, Desiree, and three brothers, including two younger.

"I think when his father died it was real hard on him," Behrens said. "But he's a pretty mature kid and he handled the pressure well for being a young teenager."

The 16-year-old is now back in the Eagles' gym, where he feels ready to build on the buzz he generated last season to keep recruiters interested.

"I've talked with an assistant from Northern Iowa a couple of times about Josh," Behrens said. "But Creighton has stayed in touch with me throughout the entire basketball season, especially toward the end."

Although Jones stands only 6-foot-1, Behrens said Creighton coaches envision him as a shooting guard.

Jones averaged 14.4 points last season, earning first-team All-Metro and second-team All-Nebraska honors. But he still feels he much room for improvement, which is why he's involved in basketball camps and leagues throughout this summer and lifting weights daily.

"My right hand needs a little work," the left-hander said, "and I want to work on my vertical to make me a better player."

Behrens calls Jones "a gym rat."

"Not only can he shoot the ball very well," the coach said, "but he also has that defensive intensity that makes him a very dangerous defender."

Jones' team took first place in the Omaha "Hoop It Up" 3-on-3 tournament this spring. And he's staying active during the off-season by playing in the University of Nebraska at Omaha summer league and for the Omaha Crusaders, an Amateur Athletic Union team.

Jones reveals a sort of devilish grin when the Crusaders are mentioned because his teammates include high school rivals like Antoine Young of Bellevue West.

"Individually I get to see some of the guys' games, which includes their strengths and weaknesses," he said. "But at the same time, they also get to see mine, so it's sort of vice-versa."

The AAU team travels to cities like Las Vegas to play better competition, which attracts more college scouts.

"The best part about the summer league is that we get more exposure than we normally do during the regular season," he said.

His Central Eagles will also get plenty of exposure next season. The reigning Class A state champs return All-Metro players Ben Kline and Ronnell Grixby. But the Eagles will be without Rodney Grace, who earned second-team All-Nebraska honors as a senior. They also will apparently lose Vondrae Tostenson, a promising freshman last season who has said he is transferring.

"Our ultimate goal this upcoming season, regardless of the team's record, is to win another state championship," Jones said. "I'm looking forward to being one of the floor generals again like I was last year, but this time I'll have some bigger shoes to fill because our team will be without a big man."

Jones plans to be the first person from his family to go to college and feels the death of his father has left him with the torch to carry.

"My dad always told me to stay away from the negative things in my life, as far as people, gold-digging girls and drugs," he said. "If I continue to do that, keep my grades up and keep getting better in basketball, I think my future outlook will be completely positive."

[ceaser150]

Rather then start a new thread everytime I read a new article, I will keep them all here:

Fruendt Dominates At Batavia Night Of Hoops
February 8, 2006

11:30 A.M. CST


Is it possible for a player to show immense improvement in the course of only a month and a half? We can emphatically say that the answer to that question is a resounding "yes".

The player we are talking about is Nick Fruendt, a 6'5 sophomore at Batavia High School in Batavia, IL. Fruendt was spectacular at Batavia's Night Of Hoops this past weekend, scoring 36 points in leading his team to a 92-75 victory over East Aurora. Illinois Prep Bulls-eye was there to witness Fruendt's performance, and the following is our assessment.

First of all, Illinois Prep Bulls-eye said after watching Fruendt at the Elgin Holiday Tournament that we believe he will continue to get better and better. It is obvious after seeing him at Batavia's Night Of Hoops that he already has.

The biggest reason for Fruendt's improvement is that he is now playing with even more aggressiveness, as evidenced by the fact that he converted on 14 of 26 shots against East Aurora. Fruendt is also showing more confidence in his perimeter shooting and has proven that he has legitimate 3-point range, as his five trifectas in the East Aurora game attests to. In addition, he has also become stronger at the defensive end and continues to showcase his outstanding ballhandling and passing skills. There is no question that Fruendt has become Batavia's go-to guy.

Fruendt has already drawn early recruiting interest from schools such as Illinois, Ball State, Xavier, Notre Dame, Northern Iowa and Wisconsin-Green Bay and we expect a lot more to enter the picture between now and next spring or summer. As we have stated before, Fruendt undoubtedly ranks among the top prospects in Illinois from the Class of 2008.

Continue to check in with Illinois Prep Bulls-eye for all of the latest as it pertains to high school basketball and recruiting in Illinois.

I saw that Fruendt just visited DePaul and received an offer from them. Anyone know if UNI is still in on him? The article I saw said he had narrowed his choices to 5 schools.