MTSU Lands Transfer Jared Jones
There has been a lot of movement and a lot of activity when it comes to the shaping of the basketball roster for MTSU. The lone high school class of 2020 signee was 3-star recruit Christian Fussell.
The staff then filled in the gaps, adding former blue-chip, top 75 player, Elias King. King signed with Mississippi State out of high school prior to making the switch to MT after a year in Starkville.
They were also able to garner the commit of transfer Dontrell Shuler, a dynamic scorer out of Charleston Southern.
The momentum is definitely starting to snowball. Friday evening MT landed Northwestern transfer Jared Jones.
It is clear that the MT staff is targeting skill as well as length. Fussell hovers around the 6'10 mark, King is around 6'8, and now you throw Jones into the fray, who is around 6'10 also.
Jones participated and played in 31 games during the 2019-2020 campaign at Northwestern. He averaged a smidgen over 10 minutes a game, to go with 2.9 points-per-game, 2.1 rebounds-per-game, and 44.8 percent when it came to converting field goals.
Jones had two games last season where he scored in double-digits. Against Michigan he had 12 points and four rebounds, and he had 11 points and five boards against Rutgers. Had five games with five or more rebounds.
Despite averaging 10 minutes per contest, there were games where he got significant court time. He played 20 minutes in a home game against Michigan and and 16 minutes twice, at DePaul and at Rutgers.
Jones was listed as one of the better players from Georgia coming out in the class of 2019. He was pegged as a power forward, and he was labeled as the 38th high school power forward in all of America.
He boasted offers from programs all over prior to signing with Northwestern. He was recruited by some big boy programs such as: Clemson, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Minnesota, Wake Forest, Virginia and Tennessee.
Impact Analysis
You can't coach height, and Jared Jones certainly has the prototypical build for a power forward.
The looming question and concern when it comes to transfers is the status of eligibility. For instance, Dontrell Shuler is perceived to be a guy who will have to sit, while there is optimism that Elias King may get eligibility for the upcoming season.
Jones may have to sit out for the upcoming season, but he is a guy that should really help the team going forward. There seems to be a changing of the guard with a lot of new faces for MT on the horizon.
There is one thing to consider as it pertains to the prospect of Jones having to sit out. He will still make his teammates better having to go against him in practice.