Sooners still in the mix with Terrence Jones

In the 2010 recruiting class there is plenty of versatility. Then there is Terrence Jones. The 6-foot-7 hybrid forward out of Jefferson H.S. in Portland, Oreg. has everything a college coach could dream of and more.

How often do you run into a prospect projected to be a collegiate big man who is a year removed from being a point guard? His combination of great ball-handling skills, size, and athleticism certainly put him in elite company on the basketball floor.

It is no wonder he has some of the top programs in the country chasing after him, but that list recently shrunk. And now he is only a few days away from making it even shorter.

“I just cut it down to a top seven,” Jones told OUHoops.com. “The schools are Kansas, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Arizona, Oregon, Washington and UCLA. I feel good about all seven and I feel it’s going to be a real tough decision to make any more cuts for now. Me and my mom are going through the process of scheduling official visits right now. Hopefully we’ll have it done before Friday.”

“I’ll either start taking visits this weekend or next. I’d like to get them done by the end of October.”

Jones has been tight-lipped about his potential visit destinations, but he was willing to hint at one school who may end up making the cut on Friday.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure (Oklahoma) will get a visit. I feel pretty good about saying that,” he said.

And the Sooners appear to be in great shape early with the five-star forward. Jones has already had most of his questions answered by Oklahoma head coach Jeff Capel and assistant coach Oronde Taliaferro, but a recent in-home visit allowed his mother to start to get some answers of her own.

“I felt it was mainly a lot of questions my mom had and I feel like she got the majority of the benefit,” he said of the Sooners in-home visit. “I got a lot of my answers on the phone so it was about her getting to know about them and she did.

“Now I think my mom talks to them on the phone as much as they talk to me on the phone,” he said with a laugh.

That is not to say the Sooners coaching duo does not find time to talk to Jones, though.

“We talk all of the time,” he said. “Coach Capel and coach O really do a good job recruiting me. I talk to them a whole lot, more than any other coaches.”

The conversations are not always about his future, but coach Capel has delivered a strong message to the uberly talented forward about his potential in Norman.

“He lets me know he’s experienced it as a player and as a coach and he would be there in support of me the whole time,” he said of coach Capel. “He’s not always gonna be all smiles, but he’d always be there for me no matter what was going on or whatever the situation.”

And when it comes down to making a decision, a strong relationship with his coaches is of the utmost importance. Especially the relationship with his future head coach.

“To me, (the head coach) is going to basically be my parent for however long I’m at the school,” he said. “I’m going to have to trust him and go to him for everything while I’m away from home. It’s just going to be a decision I’ll have to trust on how good our relationship is.

“My mom really wants me to be in the best situation for me. She wouldn’t care if it was far away or close to home. As long as I feel it’s right she’d be behind my decision. I’m gone all the time playing at all of these camps over the summer and it’s a lot like being gone for college.

“It’s just going to come down to my relationship with me and the head coach.”

As important as relationships are to the Jefferson High star, there is another component playing a key role in his decision, as well.

“I’ve always felt like I’ve won and I’ve been playing on winning teams,” he said. “I feel like I would go to a place where I would feel I could win a National Championship.”

Does Oklahoma fit that description, in his eyes?

“Of course,” he said. “Any team that already has two McDonald’s All-Americans has a chance to win it all, and I think they have three on their team right now.

“I definitely feel like I could win one there.”

Jones expects to iron out his official visit schedule by Oct. 2nd and could take his first visit as early as this weekend. He intends to sign with a school during the early signing period in November and currently expects to take all five of his official visits.

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