BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: SYRACUSE

October 16, 2007


VERBAL Commitment Alert: Mookie Jones, 6'6 G/F from Peekskill (NY)

Projected 2008-2009 Roster:

Seniors: Eric Devenderf (G), Kristof Ongenaet (PF)
Juniors: Paul Harris (G), Arinze Onuaku (BF/C), Devin Brennan-McBride (BF/C), Andy Rautins (G)
Sophomores: Johnny Flynn (PG), Antonio Jardine (G), Donte Green (F), Richard Jackson (BF), Sean Williams (C)
Freshmen: Kris Joseph (WF), James Southerland (F), Mookie Jones (G/F)



Mookie Jones to Syracuse (zagsblog) is the news of the day as the Peekskill Basketball Star is Set to Announce College Decision Today (Journal News) at a 3:15 press conference in the school's library.


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The Orange and head coach Jim Boeheim have landed the final piece to their 2008 recruiting class as Mookie Jones is set to join James Southerland and Kris Joseph as the newest Orange class for the 2008-2009 season. Jones has long been considered a Syracuse lean and after visits to Marquette, DePaul and last weekend to Syracuse, the 6'6 wing is ready to make a decision. Jones also had planned to officially visit St. John's and Rutgers as well, but he has canceled those visits. He has made unofficial visits to both schools previously.

Jones seems to be an ideal piece in the Orange puzzle with great length and potential as a 2-guard in Boeheim's system. Many point to a crowded group of wings in the class with Jones, Southerland and Joseph, but each player has very different skills that they bring to the mix and can all be on the court at the same time with no problem playing the patented 2-3 zone used by coach Boeheim.

Jones has starred on the Westchester Hawks AAU program the last several years and is the latest product from Peekskill High School and Coach Lou Panzanaro. Previously, current NBA players Hilton Armstrong and Elton Brand came through the Peekskill program. Jones, has led Peekskill to three state and two Class A Federation championships in four varsity seasons and has been a target of the Orange since he was a sophomore.

The commitment by Jones caps back-to-back recruiting classes that have the Orange ready for big things in the near future. Coming off a class in 2007 that included McDonald's All-Americans Jonny Flynn and Donte Green along with Philadelphia teammates Rick Jackson and Antonio Jardine and California big man Sean Williams, Jones, Southerland and Joseph add another dynamic to the mix and this group of eight looks to compliment each other very well. Coming onto a roster that is also likely to include Paul Harris, Eric Devendorf, Arinze Onuaku, etc has the Orange perfectly positioned to remain near the top of the Big East with Georgetown, Louisville and others.

One issue that we will watch with in regards to the Orange roster is Jones makes the scholarship count 14 for 2008-2009 on paper. There has always been a question if Southerland would be part of the 2008 or 2009 class and he has recently moved on to Notre Dame Prep to make sure he is on a qualifying track with the new NCAA policies on post-graduate credits. Of course, with such a talented group of incoming players in back-to-back classes, someone could get squeezed from the mix.

As for the class of 2009, Syracuse has a couple local prospects that they have shown a lot of interest in, Brandon Triche from Syracuse and Dane Miller out of Rochester. Triche is the nephew of former Orange player Howard Triche and was also on campus last weekend with Mookie Jones taking in the opening practices of the Orange. Miller is getting Big East interest from several schools. Both players are wings, Triche a G/F and Miller a combo forward and their positions seems to be filled with the members of the 2008 class, but both certainly have a lot of interest in the Orange regardless. Positions of need might line-up to be more at point guard and BF/C and we will keep an eye on the names Syracuse gets involved with at those positions in the coming months.