Matt Jones expecting a breakout summer

The Oakland Rebels club team has arguably the best backcourt on the west coast with 6-foot-2 lead guard Michael Porter and 6-foot-4 combo guard Adrian Oliver. Another Rebel player who is looking to have a breakout summer on the travel circuit is 6-foot-5 small forward Matt Jones from St. Ignatius High School in San Francisco (Calif).

Jones is an ultra athletic wing, with a vertical leap close to 40 inches. A great defender and rebounder, he is very adept at getting to the basket from the wing. His game is similar to former Oregon University standout Freddie Jones, (no relation) who is currently in the NBA playing with the Indiana Pacers.

While his name is not well known in basketball circles outside the Bay Area, Jones' recruiting is starting to expand nationally. He is being recruited by the likes of University of San Francisco, San Jose State, Stanford, Yale, Princeton, Rutgers, UCLA, Texas Tech and Utah.

"I don't think that I am going to take any unofficial visits in the summer to the schools recruiting me," said Jones. "I am going to be playing in all of the big basketball tournaments with the Oakland Rebels and spending a lot of time in the gym working on my game."

Besides USF, which has offered him, Jones' recruiting is wide open at this time. Some of the schools he is intrigued by include the San Francisco, Princeton and Stanford.

On USF: "I love Coach Jesse Evans. I like the offense that they run. It is a program on the rise and I like all of the players on the team," said Jones. "The only problem I may have with USF is that it is too close to home."

On Princeton: "I love everything that I have heard about the school," said Jones. "I am interested in going back east to school and if basketball does not work out, you will get a great education at Princeton."

On Stanford: "The school is one of the great academic institutions in the country, and it also is a school that plays big time basketball."

Jones said he wants to play for a school that offers a combination of structure, but lets its athletes play.

"At Saint Ignatius, we play a lot of systematic basketball. With the Oakland Rebels, we play more up and down. For college, I would prefer to play in a high tempo system that can cater to my athleticism."

Jones had a breakout year during his sophomore year at St. Ignatius. He was among the better sophomores in the state as he helped to lead the Wildcats to a 22-11 record and a sectional title, before losing in the second round of the NorCal regional playoffs.

During Jones' junior year, the Wildcats struggled to a 14-13 record. Jones was double and triple teamed for much of the year, his jump shot was erratic and he was not the dominant player many predicted he would be. Over the summer, Jones said he wants to work on his weaknesses and improve his basketball skills.

"One of the things that I like about Matt Jones is that he is a very coachable kid," said Derek Smith, Jones' club coach with the Oakland Rebels. "If you get on him in practice or a game, he does not say anything. He takes it like a man and tries to improve."

Smith said Jones plays point guard from time to time to work on his ball handling skills so he will be able to make an easier transition from playing a forward in high school to being a shooting guard in college. Smith is also looking for Jones to become more assertive in games.

"He needs to be more aggressive on the offensive end," continued Smith. "Matt Jones is so unselfish as a player, he does not take over in games like I know he can."

Jones will be taking the SAT in June. With a 3.6 grade point average, at a strong college prep high school, getting into a university with high academic standards won't be a problem.