Bahamas product Kai Jones finds time to shine in June

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – No one has used the month of June to better his college recruitment or national standing more than Kai Jones. The native of the Bahamas has had a busy few weeks, and he recently discussed his ascension, tutelage alongside UNC-bound Nassir Little and the recent surge in his recruitment.

“The last few weeks have been very busy. I have been traveling a lot. I played in the NBA Global Camp in Treviso, Italy, and then I flew back to the Bahamas for a couple of days and then I found out I was invited to the NBPA Camp,” he said. “It has been hectic, fun and a lot of traveling. I lost a lot of sleep, but it has been fun.”

Offers from Buffalo, Bethune-Cookman and Dayton and VCU rattled in a year ago but his time on the international platform has brought in newer ones from Louisville, Illinois, Arizona, Texas, Baylor, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, Ole Miss and Iowa State, he told Rivals.com.

Playing alongside second-ranked senior Nassir Little and Rivals150 junior CJ Walker at Orlando Christian Prep this past year, Jones discussed what it was like competing with the two.

“The practices were very intense. It was great learning from those guys and practicing against those guys. They are the best teammates that I have ever had, and they made me better every day,” Jones said. “Nas (Nassir Little) was always talking to me and helping me getting through any of the struggles or issues that I was going through and giving me good advice. CJ (Walker), we go at it every day and it was good competition every time.”

Graduating this spring and a member of the 2018 class, many schools would love to add Jones to their program for the upcoming season. But he has a bigger plan in place.

“I am definitely going to do the prep year,” he said. “I feel like if I want to get used to dominating at my level I still need a lot to improve before I get to college and I just want to work on my weaknesses and get better, get stronger, become more consistent and get used to playing at this level that I am at right now before I get to the next level.”

Jones was able to discuss some of the programs showing interest.

Louisville: “They think that I have a lot of upside. They think that I can come in and be a great, versatile defender and they like that I have a pretty good feel for my size, that I have a good handle, I play very hard, that I have a really good motor and that I can come and play right away.”

Arizona: “That was a big-time offer, obviously, and with their alumni and DeAndre Ayton, who is a Bahamian native, he is somebody that I look up to and I have talked to in the past and I have worked out with before. It was cool and I felt excited about that. That was big time.”

Stanford: “I was happy to receive that offer because as a student - before I started playing basketball - I never thought I could get into Stanford. So to be offered by them is big for me.”

Jones will complete his final month on the travel circuit next month with the Team Breakdown 17-under squad on the Under Armour circuit.

While many would be overwhelmed with the recent uptick in offers and interest, Jones has remained humble throughout the process.

“I am excited for every offer, because it is a blessing to be able to play Division I basketball. It is very exciting, because just knowing my parents won’t have to pay for college, it is a blessing,” he said. “I just want to get to a place that I can truly get better, make an impact and I want to study business. ... I believe iron sharpens iron, so I just want to be in an atmosphere where I can get better and work really hard.”

Set on enrolling at Brewster Academy this fall, Jones is hoping he can schedule a few official visits to take once July finishes up.

“I am probably going to set up some visits in August and after AAU, once I am done with all of these camps,” he said. “I just want to focus on my game and July, so I will probably take some visits in early-to-late fall.”

Jones had his coming-out party during a dead period for the college coaches, so he should get plenty of attention in the next month.

A run-and-jump athlete with an impressive feel for the game, Jones’ upside is staggering, and his defensive versatility and recent progression have caught the attention of top programs. Jones will likely enroll at Brewster Academy this fall, take his five allotted official visits and then commit to a program that will have a tremendous long-term prospect in the frontcourt.