Chris Jones Now A Top Priority For Rick Pitino

Sunday was the first day of the NCAA’s open contact period, where recruiters are allowed to make contact with prospects. Louisville head coach Rick Pitino has visited and made contact with more than one recruit since Sunday, but Chris Jones, a 5-foot-11 point guard at Northwest Florida State College was the first guy Coach Pitino wanted to see. Jones, a sophomore-to-be at the junior college level was visited by both Pitino and Louisville assistant Kevin Keatts on Sunday.

Jones is one of the many point guard prospects in the 2013 class that has a scholarship offer from the Cards, but it’s beginning to seem as if Jones is the top player on Pitino’s list.

I think it’s safe to say that if there is one point guard to add in the 2013 class, Chris Jones makes the most sense. Louisville already has a commitment from point guard Quintin Snider, who is a member of the 2014 class. When Peyton Siva graduates in 2013, Snider will still have a year of high school basketball left. If Pitino can bring in Chris Jones from 2013-2015, it makes much more sense for the future.

With Anthony “Cat” Barber no longer being pursued by Louisville; all attention will definitely shift to Chris Jones. In his first year of JUCO he averaged 18 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game last season in helping his team to a National Junior College Athletic Association runner-up finish.

Louisville appears to be in great shape with Jones, but there is definitely some tough competition in his recruitment. He is also considering Oklahoma State, Baylor, Florida State, Kansas and Memphis. He took an official visit to Baylor last weekend and will visit Louisville on Friday. Kansas head coach Bill Self and Memphis head coach Josh Pastner were also in Florida over the past few days to visit with Jones.