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Patriot League Pick for Jones

"Verdana","sans-serif"'>With the calendar turning to August on Friday, one
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of the top basketball prospects in Virginia from the Class of 2015 decided it
was time to end his recruitment. Radford
High's Nate Jones, a 6-foot-4 swingman
that was chosen as the Group 1A State Player of the Year by VirginiaPreps.com,
gave a verbal commitment to Head Coach Dave
Paulsen and the Bucknell
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'> Bison out of the Patriot League.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>For a long time, Jones was rumored to be a shoe-in to go
to Radford University since his father, Mike
Jones, serves as Head Coach of the Highlanders.
style=> Instead, he opted to head out-of-state with
several factors weighing into his decision.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>"I chose Bucknell because I
was very comfortable with the coaching staff.
They did a great job of giving me all the info I needed on the program
and the school itself. They have a
tradition of winning with great fan support and a great atmosphere to play in,"
Jones told VirginiaPreps.com.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>"They were really excited to hear the news when I
committed. They're going to use me as
more of a '3' than a '2' just because of size.
I think I will fit in well with how they play."
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Dad gave his full support of the choice as well.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>"He thought it was a good fit for me and he really respects
what they do at Bucknell," Nate added.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Jones was also recruited by American, Army, Lafayette,
New Hampshire and Wofford among others.
His offer sheet might've approached double-digits if not for an ankle
sprain in July while playing on the AAU circuit with Team Richmond.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>After winning a state title as a sophomore, Jones made
it a priority before his junior campaign to get stronger so that it would allow
him to get to the basket and finish with more ease.
style=> His role increased significantly for the
Bobcats, who posted a 26-3 overall record and won the Group 1A-West Region
Tournament. Even in the team's 49-44
loss to Altavista in the State Championship, he was a
force with 24 points on 10-of-15 shooting and recorded a game-high 10 rebounds.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>For his junior season, Jones averaged 17.3 points, 5.8
rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.9 steals per game while shooting 45.1% from the
field (188-of-417), over 40% from three-point range with 30 makes beyond the
arc and committed only 40 turnovers in 29 games.
style=>
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Although the personal accolades came in for Jones with
State Player of the Year, Western Gate Conference 45 Player of the Year, First
Team All-State and First Team All-Region, he values winning over everything
else.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>"They are getting a player who is team first and will
play hard every possession," Jones noted.
"I feel I'll bring them a player that will do a little bit of everything
on the court."
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>He's someone that epitomizes student-athlete, too.
style=> In addition to his skills on the basketball
court, Jones excels in the classroom by maintaining a 4.0 GPA.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Last season, Bucknell
finished with a record of 16-14 overall.
That put them just four wins shy of their seventh 20-win season in the
past decade. They've been to the NCAA
Tournament four times since 2005, beating Kansas nine years ago and Arkansas in
2006.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>With his college commitment out of the way, Jones can
turn his attention to his senior season.
Coach Rick Cormany
style='font-weight:normal'>'s squad has captured three state titles
since 2009, but they have to replace second-leading scorer
normal'>Isaiah Phillips, who is headed to Division II Urbana University in
Ohio. Having Jones and rising junior
guard Marcus Finley, a First Team
All-Conference performer as a sophomore, back is a good start point.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>"It's a huge relief," Jones admitted. "I've always
planned on deciding before the season just so I can play my last year without
having to worry about that. My goals are
to win as many games as possible and let things go from there.
style=> I definitely want to end my last year
differently from the previous one."
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>***
href="https://virginiapreps.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1634851">See our Video
Interview with Nate Jones from the Hoop Group Southern Jam Fest ***
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>
style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>
115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";text-decoration:none;text-underline:
none'>Matthew Hatfield
style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>
serves as State Basketball Analyst for
href="http://www.virginiapreps.com">
style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
text-decoration:none;text-underline:none'>VirginiaPreps.com
style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>
115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>, part of the Rivals.com
Network. Check out
href="https://www.twitter.com/hatfieldsports">
normal'>
text-decoration:none;text-underline:none'>Hatfield's Twitter page
style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>
115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> for more sports related updates,
and you can also read his work in the
href="http://www.suffolknewsherald.com">
style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
text-decoration:none;text-underline:none'>Suffolk News Herald
style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>
115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>.
To contact Matthew, please e-mail
href="mailto:hatfieldsports2k4@yahoo.com">
style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
text-decoration:none;text-underline:none'>hatfieldsports2k4@yahoo.com
style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>
115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>, and don't forget to listen to him
every Saturday at 10AM on
style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>
115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";text-decoration:none;text-underline:
none'>ESPN Radio 94.1
style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>,
plus watch him on the
style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>
115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";text-decoration:none;text-underline:
none'>Cox 11 Sports Report
style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>.
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