JUCO Point Guard Chris Jones Now On Louisville’s Radar

It’s still too early to know which players will join the Louisville basketball program in 2013, but if there is one thing we do know, it is that Rick Pitino is desperately trying to add a point guard.

Chris Jones, a 5-foot-10 point guard from Northwest Florida State Junior College is the most recent floor general to receive interest from the Louisville coaching staff. Jones was originally a member of the 2011 class and signed with Tennessee. However, due to academic issues, Jones did not qualify and enrolled in junior college. He is originally from Memphis and was considered to be a top 50 overall prospect in the 2011 class.

Jones and Kevin Ware were the two stars of Tennessee’s 2011 class, but everything changed for the two once Bruce Pearl was fired. Ware obviously ended up with Louisville while Jones reunited with Steve Forbes, who is now the head coach at North West Florida State junior college. Forbes was previously a member of the Tennessee staff and played a huge role in Jones’ recruitment. In his first season of JUCO ball, Jones averaged 18 points and 4 assists per game leading his team to a 27-2 overall record.

Kevin Keatts made the trip to the JUCO All American showcase this weekend in at Aikenville Technical College in Graniteville, S.C. Jones participated in the showcase and was arguably the top overall player in the event. Louisville has not offered a scholarship yet, but is just one of the many schools to express interest. According to Dave Telep of ESPN, Jones has scholarship offers from South Carolina and Marquette, while Kansas, Louisville, Baylor, Oklahoma State, Florida State, N.C. State, Memphis, Arkansas are getting involved.

I’ve never been a huge fan of going after junior college players. The risk is usually never worth the reward. However, I’d be willing to make an exception with Jones. He’s as talented as any of the other point guards that Louisville is pursuing.