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.

University of Oregon's Awesome Coaching Search

Not long ago I wrote an entry on the University of Oregon's search for a new basketball coach. Throwing a ton of money at names that you don't have a chance to get is a poor strategy.

I wasn't the only one who thinks so. ESPN's Dana O'Neil has written a more detailed and ESPNy column on how bad Oregon has done with their coaching search. Read the whole thing if you're interested. Here's an excerpt:

Universities don't want to look bad for swinging and missing, and no coach wants to be viewed as the second or third choice.

Trouble is, the ego cover-up often backfires.

Look at Oregon.

The school may not have interviewed that long list of candidates, but the school is perceived as striking out more than Ryan Howard.

The most unfortunate part could be that Oregon's hubris-fueled botched coach search may end up costing them Terrence Jones, an in-state super recruit that is surprisingly seriously interested in being a Duck. He is giving Oregon every opportunity to hire a coach before he decides on a school, but time is running out.

Akeem Scott Playoff Update

Akeem Scott's LrNMKY team was unable to earn a victory against KTP and were bounced from the playoffs. Akeem notched 16 points in the loss. For the series Spider-Keem averaged 19.3 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds, and 2.7 steals per game.

We're sad to see Keem gone from the playoffs but are looking forward to more Akeem Scott in the future. His strong play this season and newly granted Jamaican citizenship mean that we are likely to see the PC back on the court soon enough.

In the mean time we look forward to more videos, music, and whatever else Keem puts out into the universe in the near future. And oh yeah, the film is coming along nicely.

Akeem Scott, PLAYOFFS

The playoffs have gotten underway in Finland and the P.C. is on a quest for his second consecutive league championship. As you can see from the Eurobasket graphic above Akeem's LrNMKY squad is down 0-2 in the series to KTP.

In the first game, LrNMKY didn't have much of a chance against a KTP team that was on fire. Akeem did play well with 17, 4, 4, and 3 steals.

In the second game KTP's shooting came back down to Earth. LrNMKY seemed to be on the verge of evening the series behind Akeem's 25, 9, 9, and 2 steals. Unfortunately, KTP's shot at the buzzer lifted them to an 80-78 victory.

One blowout and one heart breaker aren't the ideal way to start off the playoffs. Stay tuned to see if LrNMKY can overcome the rough start.