The bulk of USC’s basketball coaching staff was at Keenan Tuesday for the final day of  the next to last recruiting period for this basketball calendar.  They were there for a fourth period workout that included 6-5 Dillon Jones.   Frank Martin, Chuck Martin and Bruce Singler got some good evaluation time and then the two assistants had a the chance to chat up Jones.

“It just reminded me how cool they are,” Jones said. “They are just good people man. They are just good people to be around. I know if I go there I won’t be all uptight. I can relax around them. Coach (Frank) Martin, as soon as I walked in, he was having a conversation with Coach Earl Grant from College of Charleston. They were talking for awhile and by the time it ended we had already started working out. He had to leave so I didn’t get the chance to talk to him. I texted him and told him thanks for coming and he told me he’d be back next week.”

USC is the biggest offer Jones has at this point, but he realizes his recruiting is just starting to take shape, so there’s not reason for him to get ahead of himself and start zeroing in on one program.  He hasn’t gotten that far yet with the Gamecocks. 

“Honestly, we didn’t get into all that, I think that’s why Coach Martin told me he would get back to me next week,” he said. “There were so many coaches there today we didn’t have a lot of time to talk one-on-one. When he comes back to visit me again, I’m pretty sure we’re going to start talking more in detail about stuff like that.”

Also in to watch Jones today were Georgia Tech head coach Josh Pastner, SC State head coach Murray Garvin, and assistant coaches from Temple and Upstate. The only in home visit he’s had thus far was last week with Appalachian State.  Hofstra has talked to him about an in home visit. 

This coming weekend Jones and his AAU team will compete in a top event in Dallas where he knows he’ll get more exposure in front of coaches, and that he said should lead to more recruiting activity. 

“Lot of coaches won’t really know what I am (position-wise) until I play this weekend and they get a good feel for what I am,  and that’s when schools are going to prioritize me,” Jones said. “The only school that I really know that’s prioritizing me is Appalachian State. I’m a big priority to them. I talk to Coach Young every day. He texts me every day. Coastal Carolina is starting to pick it back up too.”

Jones led Keenan to a state championship last season and as his profile has gone up in recruiting, so has interest from basketball-centric schools who are interested in seeing him transfer for his senior season. 

“That’s possible,  but of course I’m just with Keenan right now and finishing up there,” Jones said. “But with the season I had and the good Chick-Fil-A Classic I had, there are a lot of schools that are coming at me right now, but we’ve got to see what’s the best opportunity. If I have the opportunity to take it to another level I will, that’s just what it’s about man. As of right now, I will be back at Keenan, but I’m just saying,  don’t be surprised if I do make a move. Let’s just say that.”