Jones confirms his choice: Nebraska
Eshaunte Jones on Friday confirmed perhaps the worst-kept secret of the week.
He’s coming to Nebraska.
The prep school standout and former Indiana high school all-state basketball player said he’s a Husker, and that he canceled a scheduled visit to Kentucky.
Jones, a 6-foot-4, 190-pound combo guard from Fort Wayne, Ind., made an official visit to Lincoln last weekend. He’ll be a freshman with four years of eligibility.
“It was just a situation where the coaching staff was great and the players were wonderful, too, just as people and players also,” Jones said. “And I think they’re headed in the right direction.”
Jones told the Journal Star on Sunday he’d probably commit to Nebraska. His mother, Tornette, and AAU coach, Eric Vaughn, said Tuesday that Jones had chosen Nebraska.
Jones, though, waited until Friday before making his official announcement.
Nebraska coach Doc Sadler said Friday he couldn’t comment on Jones; Jones is still considered a prospective student-athlete until the first day of fall semester classes.
However, a source within the NU men’s basketball program confirmed that Jones’ paperwork had been faxed to Nebraska on Friday.
Jones is still finishing classes in order to be cleared by the NCAA academic clearinghouse. Jones said Friday he’s not worried about his academic status; in fact, he said he’d hoped to be in Lincoln taking classes this summer.
Jones attended Hargrave Military Academy last year but played only half the season at the Virginia prep school. He said a severe ankle injury sidelined him the second half of the season.
Jones watched as Hargrave went 29-0 and won the prep school national championship.
“It wasn’t frustrating at all,” Jones said. “I was just happy that our team won. It was wonderful just being there with the guys.”
Official statistics aren’t readily available, but Jones said he probably averaged 19 points through the estimated 14 games he said he played at Hargrave.
As a high school senior at Fort Wayne North Side, Jones was the state of Indiana’s third-leading scorer, averaging 28 points per game. He shot nearly 42 percent from the field.
Jones, who’d had offers out of high school from Tennessee, West Virginia, Cincinnati, Georgetown, Missouri and Memphis, committed to Indiana in the fall of 2006 but instead went to Hargrave.
Jones then signed to play with Oregon State, but was granted a release from his letter of intent after a coaching change at the school. Nebraska and Kentucky then became the front-runners to land Jones this late in the recruiting process.
“I’m just going to compete just like everybody else when I step on the court,” Jones said. “I’m going to be ready to play. I think everything will go fine. Nebraska is headed in the right direction.”
Jones said Sadler was a main reason he chose Nebraska.
“He’s just a tremendous coach,” he said. “He just said come in and work hard. He didn’t promise me anything, and I wasn’t looking for any promises. I was looking to see if I could come in and help a good team get better.”
Jones fills the scholarship spot vacated by Roburt Sallie, who last month was declared ineligible by the Big 12 Conference. Jones and incoming freshman Christopher Niemann are the only two newcomers for 2008-09.
Sadler, though, isn’t expecting word on Niemann’s eligibility status until August or September. Niemann, a native of Germany, is academically qualified through NU but must clear the NCAA’s international players clearinghouse and the academic clearinghouse.
Reach Brian Rosenthal at 473-7436 or brosenthal@journalstar.com.
He’s coming to Nebraska.
The prep school standout and former Indiana high school all-state basketball player said he’s a Husker, and that he canceled a scheduled visit to Kentucky.
Jones, a 6-foot-4, 190-pound combo guard from Fort Wayne, Ind., made an official visit to Lincoln last weekend. He’ll be a freshman with four years of eligibility.
“It was just a situation where the coaching staff was great and the players were wonderful, too, just as people and players also,” Jones said. “And I think they’re headed in the right direction.”
Jones told the Journal Star on Sunday he’d probably commit to Nebraska. His mother, Tornette, and AAU coach, Eric Vaughn, said Tuesday that Jones had chosen Nebraska.
Jones, though, waited until Friday before making his official announcement.
Nebraska coach Doc Sadler said Friday he couldn’t comment on Jones; Jones is still considered a prospective student-athlete until the first day of fall semester classes.
However, a source within the NU men’s basketball program confirmed that Jones’ paperwork had been faxed to Nebraska on Friday.
Jones is still finishing classes in order to be cleared by the NCAA academic clearinghouse. Jones said Friday he’s not worried about his academic status; in fact, he said he’d hoped to be in Lincoln taking classes this summer.
Jones attended Hargrave Military Academy last year but played only half the season at the Virginia prep school. He said a severe ankle injury sidelined him the second half of the season.
Jones watched as Hargrave went 29-0 and won the prep school national championship.
“It wasn’t frustrating at all,” Jones said. “I was just happy that our team won. It was wonderful just being there with the guys.”
Official statistics aren’t readily available, but Jones said he probably averaged 19 points through the estimated 14 games he said he played at Hargrave.
As a high school senior at Fort Wayne North Side, Jones was the state of Indiana’s third-leading scorer, averaging 28 points per game. He shot nearly 42 percent from the field.
Jones, who’d had offers out of high school from Tennessee, West Virginia, Cincinnati, Georgetown, Missouri and Memphis, committed to Indiana in the fall of 2006 but instead went to Hargrave.
Jones then signed to play with Oregon State, but was granted a release from his letter of intent after a coaching change at the school. Nebraska and Kentucky then became the front-runners to land Jones this late in the recruiting process.
“I’m just going to compete just like everybody else when I step on the court,” Jones said. “I’m going to be ready to play. I think everything will go fine. Nebraska is headed in the right direction.”
Jones said Sadler was a main reason he chose Nebraska.
“He’s just a tremendous coach,” he said. “He just said come in and work hard. He didn’t promise me anything, and I wasn’t looking for any promises. I was looking to see if I could come in and help a good team get better.”
Jones fills the scholarship spot vacated by Roburt Sallie, who last month was declared ineligible by the Big 12 Conference. Jones and incoming freshman Christopher Niemann are the only two newcomers for 2008-09.
Sadler, though, isn’t expecting word on Niemann’s eligibility status until August or September. Niemann, a native of Germany, is academically qualified through NU but must clear the NCAA’s international players clearinghouse and the academic clearinghouse.
Reach Brian Rosenthal at 473-7436 or brosenthal@journalstar.com.
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