Top 40 national recruit from SC. Will play small forward most likely. We are soooo stacked the next few seasons. Cuse will be a top 10 team for the next few seasons as long as injuries, transfers and early entrants stay away.

He is coming in for the summer season in July and will play this season.

Meh, you guys won't be anything special this year unless you find a point guard. So who's gonna play the point? Josh Wright, Devendorf, maybe even Paul Harris (my BE ROY)?

JFlight21 Wrote:Meh, you guys won't be anything special this year unless you find a point guard. So who's gonna play the point? Josh Wright, Devendorf, maybe even Paul Harris (my BE ROY)?

Devendorf /Harris in the backcourt= more broken hearts for UC/UofL/Gtown fans


Mike Jones and Paul Harris were beasts at that Jordan Classic game, UofL had a nice pickup at that game too

JFlight21 Wrote:Meh, you guys won't be anything special this year unless you find a point guard. So who's gonna play the point? Josh Wright, Devendorf, maybe even Paul Harris (my BE ROY)?

What school do you root for?


Excellent news Mark. Thanks for the info.

cuseroc Wrote:

JFlight21 Wrote:Meh, you guys won't be anything special this year unless you find a point guard. So who's gonna play the point? Josh Wright, Devendorf, maybe even Paul Harris (my BE ROY)?

What school do you root for?


Excellent news Mark. Thanks for the info.

Cincinnati. Trust me on the need to find a point guard. Many times we would have been a final four caliber team with a good point guard but we didn't have one so we bowed out early in the tournament.

JFlight21 Wrote:Meh, you guys won't be anything special this year unless you find a point guard. So who's gonna play the point? Josh Wright, Devendorf, maybe even Paul Harris (my BE ROY)?

Actually - all three. Wright when he comes off the bench will be THE pg - no matter who he is substituting for.

When the starters are out there - Devo will likely handle the rock in the set offense while Harris likely will push the tempo on the fast break opportunities.

Expect more fast-breaking offense next year than the Cuse has had in a while. Defensive tenacity is going to set-up some easy transition baskets and Harris is quick taking the rebound and sprinting down the court.

Cheers,
Neil

The following article shows that it may have been a premature announcement that Jones qualified:




Jones may not have qualified
This is one of the worst things that can happen to a reporter.

Earlier today, Dion Bethea, the AAU coach of the South Carolina Ravens, told me that Mike Jones had received a qualifying score on the SAT and would be eligible to play at Syracuse University this fall. Bethea said Jones "was excited.''

However, just tonight, a person within the SU basketball office called me to say the report isn't true. I was stunned.

I have attempted to contact Bethea to no avail. I've left several messages for him.

I spent the afternoon trying to reach Jones, but he's always difficult to reach and with it being summer he's not been home most of the day.

I am now under the impression that Jones has not qualified. I regret getting everybody out there excited.

However, I had no reason not to believe Bethea. I've interviewed him many times and met him in person at the Jordan Classic.

A story for Wednesday's Post-Standard has been killed.

I could've pulled the original message of the blog and pretend it didn't happen. But I felt everyone out there needed to know what's going on.

Mike Waters
mwaters@syracuse.com

Latest Update has him qualified and ready to play:





Jones makes grade at SU
S.C. hoop star achieves qualifying ACT score, will play for Orange next season.
Thursday, June 29, 2006
By Mike Waters
Staff writer
One day after thinking he had achieved a qualifying score on the SAT only to find out that he had fallen short, Mike Jones received word that he had earned a qualifying score on the ACT, making him eligible to play at Syracuse University next season.

Chip Atkins, Jones' coach at Lower Richland High School in Hopkins, S.C., confirmed Jones' ACT score Wednesday. Atkins ?7Jones? said he also had received confirmation from the Syracuse University coaching staff.

"He's qualified, " Atkins said. "They looked at his grades and his score and said he's good."


The news ended 24 hours of confusion over whether Jones had gained his eligibility with his latest SAT attempt. His ACT results made everything else moot.

Jones, a 6-foot-7 forward, averaged 21 points, 10 rebounds and 2.5 steals for Lower Richland this past season. He earned South Carolina's Mr. Basketball award and was named the state's Class 4A Player of the Year for the third straight year.

He led Lower Richland to a 74-10 record over the last three seasons. He scored 16 points in the Jordan All-American Classic at Madison Square Garden in April.

Jones is one of three high school seniors who signed letters of intent with Syracuse last November. The other two are Paul Harris, a 6-foot-5 guard from Niagara Falls, and Devin Brennan-McBride, a 6-9 forward from London, Ontario.

Jones, like all incoming college freshmen, still must have his high school transcript and ACT score approved by the NCAA Clearinghouse.

Dion Bethea,Jones' coach with the AAU South Carolina Ravens, said Jones would enroll in SU's second summer school session, which begins Wednesday.

The news that Jones has qualified could have a greater impact on Syracuse in the 2007-08 season than it will during the upcoming year.

Syracuse returns four starters from last year's team, including rising senior Demetris Nichols at small forward. Jones figures to play behind Nichols during the 2006-07 campaign.

The year of experience could become vital after Nichols and fellow seniors Terrence Roberts and Darryl Watkins depart after next season. Syracuse has received commitments from five players in the Class of 2007.

Had he not qualified, Jones planned to attend Hargrave (Va.) Military Academy. He then would have entered Syracuse University in the fall of 2007.

"I'm glad he won't have to go to prep school for a year," Atkins said.

"He's ready," Bethea said. "He wants to get up there."