Terrence Jones to Kentucky

Aaaaaaand scene. The long Terrence Jones decision making process has come to an end. I think. Jones has filled out financial aid paperwork for the University of Kentucky.

If Jones' refusal to sign a letter of intent has frustrated or confused you, get over it. Top recruits like Jones can still play in the programs they want without ever signing one. By not entering into a contract with a school the player has more flexibility should things not work out. A handy thing if, for example, Calipari ditches Kentucky for the NBA.

Coaches won't tolerate this move from most players but will certainly make exceptions for superstars. Its sort of surprising that it hasn't become common practice yet. Terrence Jones may already have created a legacy for himself in college hoops.

The Terrence Jones Saga. Its a saga now.

After taking more time than any other top recruit to decide, Terrence Jones announced that he would play for the University of Washington. If only it were that simple.

As reported by Percy Allen of the Seattle Times, who has covered the Jones Saga better than anyone, Jones didn't actually sign a letter of intent. After making his announcement he reportedly had a conversation with John Calipari, a man that would be the best car salesman in the history of the planet if he didn't like basketball.

Drama.

Terrence Jones to UW

We finally know where Terrence Jones will be heading for college hoops: the University of Washington.

Over 25,000 people watched Jones make his announcement live over the internet. His long decision making process did wonders for churning up the public interest. Jones said the delay was because he really hadn't made up his mind.

Jones teared up while reminiscing on his time at Jefferson High. This was the latest example of how strongly Jones values his teammates and those close to him, a value that was the main reason I predicted Jones would ultimately head to UW. There he can be in an impressive program, stay close to home and family, build real connections with teammates (as opposed to a more stepping stone environment like Kentucky), and have his friend Terrence Ross as a teammate. Not to mention he seems like the perfect player to fill the role of the departing Quincy Pondexter. It seems a great "get" for UW and a great fit for Jones.

Not insignificant is that three other Jefferson players are also going Division I. (Holy crap.) As previously mentioned, Terrence Ross is headed to UW along with Jones. Stephen Madison is going to the University of Idaho. AJ Johnson is off to play for Texas Southern. Talent factory.

Latest rumors on Terrence Jones & Terrence Ross

Kendall Marshall, a point-guard bound for UNC, predicted that both Terrence Jones and Terrence Ross will be heading to the University of Washington.

Meanwhile, Jones isn't narrowing his list of schools but expanding it. He plans on visiting Kansas later in the month.

Ross had said he will make his decision after visiting Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Washington.

Terrence Jones really considering University of Oregon?

We've known that the University of Oregon was one of several schools on the short list of possible destinations for Portland-product and super recruit Terrence Jones.

There were logical reasons not to get too excited over that.

First of all, the competition for Jones is fierce. Schools like Kentucky, Kansas, and UCLA want him. Then there was the fact that Ducks basketball hasn't exactly been impressing lately. Then they fired their coach. What star player would want such a situation?

It turns out Terrence Jones might. This could be me getting way too excited by the slightest prospect of keeping Jones in the state of Oregon, but this quote happened:

During the ESPN broadcast, analyst Jay Williams said Jones will wait until Oregon fills its coaching vacancy before choosing a college.

Whaaaaaaat?!

Whoever Oregon's new coach turns out to be, having a five-star recruit fall into his lap would be a great way to get his tenure started. If I'm the University of Oregon (which would be weird because I'm a human and the University of Oregon is an academic institution) I'd be trying to get that little snippet some more attention.

This could create a fairly unique situation where a potential recruit is used to attract a coach. Whether Jones ends up at the University of Oregon or not, it would be interesting if the mere possibility of his enrollment could help Oregon get the coach they want. Of course, if Jones did choose Oregon and the Ducks did get the coach they want...