Jones enjoying bigger spotlight

Jamail Jones, a 6-foot-6 wing from Greenforest Academy in Decatur, Georgia, was one of the top players from last weekend's Georgia Hoops Fall Showcase.

The class of 2010 prospect has been one of the fastest rising players in the Peach State over the last nine months. He went from an under-the-radar prospect to a Rivals150 player in that span.

"I feel like I did real good considering I kind of came out of nowhere," Jones said. "There is always room for improvement though. I think I opened a lot of people's eyes."

Jones is a classic case of small school star that happens to be the biggest player on his team, thus locking him into the post. Part of his progression was making the move to the wing position. Jones had little trouble on the perimeter, especially at the Georgia Hoops Fall Showcase. He was consistent from the wing and proved himself as a scorer from deep.

"It was kind of hard at first because I was used to playing with my back to the basket. But as the summer progressed, I started to get a better feel for playing out on the wing," Jones said. "I starting attacking the basket more instead of attacking the basket most of the time. I had the freedom to shoot jumpers so that helped. I'd have to say I like playing out on the wing more.

"I feel like I improved a lot because I started handling the ball more, my shot has gotten better, I'm beating people off the dribble now."

With his improved game and more exposure on the summer circuit, Jones has become a highly sought after player.

Alabama, Appalachian State, Arkansas, Auburn (offer), Cincinnati, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, Georgia State (offer), Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Maryland, Ole Miss and Temple have all shown various amounts of interest, he says.

"I kind of thought I'd be recruited but I didn't think it would be like this," Jones said. "Every time I'm away from home, my mom says I've got about five or six new schools sending me stuff. It's a big difference from last summer to this past summer.

"I've got to stay humble and keep working hard. They always told me it would be coming but they say I haven't seen nothing yet."

Jones said he will unofficially visit Ole Miss in October and he would like to get up to Alabama, Kentucky and Cincinnati for a visit this fall, too.

"I'd say Alabama, Georgia State, Ole Miss, Appalachian State, Auburn and Cincinnati are coming at me hard," Jones said. "I just got back from Auburn. It was pretty good.

"I want to get a good education. I want to find a place that I feel like I'm at home. I want to go and have fun and not get out of hand doing it. Live crowds at the games will be a plus, too."