Jamail Jones, a 6’6 1/2 wing who will be attending Montverde Academy this year, recently committed to playing college ball for Marquette University and Head Coach Buzz Williams. Jones is ranked in the top 60-65 range nationally, and SportsBubbler caught up with “Mellow” to talk about his decision.

The recruiting process can be long and stressful for players with a lot of ups and downs – schools coming into and out of the picture, and the process was no different for Jones. “It feels great to have it done, to know I’m going to Marquette. The have a great academic program and I really like the way they treat their players and their style of play.”

So who were the schools that were in the mix for the talented wing? “There were a lot of schools, but when it came down to it, the ones that were really in the mix besides Marquette were Xavier, Oklahoma and Mississippi State.”

Marquette Assistant Coach Aki Collins was the lead recruiter for Jones and played a major role in Jones’ decision. “Coach Collins, that’s my guy. I feel like I can talk to him about anything and I know he will do everything in his power to help me be successful.”  While Collins may be the key, there were others that played a big role too. “All the Marquette coaches have been great, and Coach Williams is a great coach. My AAU coaches were a big part of it too; they did a great job of helping me with the process.”

Heading from high school to the Big East will be a major step, and Jones feels his game will transfer over to the next level. "I’m an athletic wing that can shoot the ball and defend any position on the court, 1-5. Shooting is the strongest part of my and I think that will help in the Big East because there aren’t too many people my size that can shoot as well as I do.”

The positives aside, the Georgia native knows he needs to improve and there is a lot of work to do. “Getting stronger is what I need to focus on. I will let the ball handle itself because I’m one of the hardest workers you’ll find.”

Jones spent the summer working on his game with his AAU team, Hoop Planet, and though he is confident in his game, how does he feel his teammates would describe him? “I would think they see me as a coach on the floor, the leader who will fight ‘til the end for his teammates and do whatever it takes.”

Jones has been to Marquette before, and says he fell in love with the school, so what’s next for him? “I hadn’t planned on heading back yet, because I didn’t know I was going to decide when I did, but I hope to get back up there in December.”

With a year left, most high school students don’t know what they want to do or where they want to go, but Jones already has his sights set, “I’m heading to Marquette and I plan on majoring in either Pre-Med or Mathematics.”

With the Marquette community is just starting to get a feel for who Jamail Jones is, and Jones wanted to assure them, “I’m ready to come in and work hard, I want to help Marquette win some championships!”