Jones makes a decision

Lee Hubbard

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Chris Jones, a 6-foot-4 combo guard from Newark Memorial High has given a verbal commitment to Fresno State University.

"I like the school and it feels like a very good fit for me," said Jones. "They play the way I like to play. They run the floor and they let their players play and make plays."

Jones picked Fresno State over basketball scholarship offers from San Jose State, Loyola Marymount, Portland, St. Mary's, Oral Roberts, TCU and San Francisco. Other schools showing recruiting interest included Miami, Illinois, UNLV, Washington State, Washington, Utah, San Diego State, Santa Clara, UOP, UC Irvine and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

The Bulldogs won out because of their style of play, Jones' connection with the coaching staff, the needs of the program, fan support and the opportunity to play in the Save Mart center, which is arguably the second best arena on the West Coast behind the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

"The arena was really nice, and it was one of the best ones I had been in or seen," said Jones.

Horacio Jones, Chris's father, said Fresno State started recruiting his son in the spring. In his talks with the coaching staff they were "very diligent and consistent" in explaining how Chris would benefit the Bulldog program.

"Their particular needs in the 2008 class afforded Chris an opportunity to potentially have an impact early," said the elder Jones.

Fresno State loses seven seniors to graduation this upcoming year and Jones will have the opportunity to come in and contribute early at the point guard spot. The school is also centrally located for the entire Jones family. It allows his parents as well as his extended family in Southern California to meet in the middle of the state to see Jones play.

"Fresno State in the past has played at a high level," continued Horacio. "They have shown the ability to retool over the years in talent. This will consistently challenge [Chris] to work hard and to get better as a player."

Division I coaches are not allowed under NCAA regulations to comment on verbal commitments. But the coaching staff should be very happy with the player they are getting. Jones is ranked the No. 4 2008 prospect in Northern California by NorCalPreps.com.

Last year, Jones averaged 14.4 points and two assists per game for a balanced Cougars team that won the Mission Valley Athletic League title. Jones was first team All-League, team MVP and voted the most outstanding player in the MVAL. Newark has not lost a league game in five years and Jones has helped continue a basketball tradition which includes Marquin Chandler (George Washington/San Jose State), Devon Harden (California), Kyle Spain (San Diego State), Trae Clark (Cal Poly SLO) and countless others.

Jones is a physical specimen with a college-ready body, good all around player, who makes his teammates better. He has made defense one of his trademarks, as he is a tough lock down defender who opposing coaches have called the "blanket" because of his defensive prowess. Jones is also a crafty scorer with very good perimeter footwork. One of his weaknesses is his outside shooting, but he has made tremendous strides in this area.

Over the spring and summer, Jones played for Southern California-based California Hoops. Head coach Mike Lewis calls Jones a "coach's dream." "[Chris] gives 100 percent on both ends of the court," said Lewis. "He takes the challenge to defend the best player on the team, and he is one tough competitor."

California Hoops played at a high level the entire year and Jones had several memorable games. In the Las Vegas Spring Classic, Jones scoring 18 points to help Hoops win the tournamet championship, and he averaged over 20 points per game, including a 42 point outburst at the Main Event in July.

Now, with the pressure of a decision out of the way, Jones says he will concentrate on Newark winning the league, section, Norcal and state championships in Division 1.

"Our goal is to get to the state championship game in Division 1," continued Jones. "In the past, we should have went to state but we did not play well and play up to our potential. This year, I am going to make sure our team plays together, plays hard and plays with a purpose."

Cal's Anderson has come a long way in a short time by almost any standard.  Ryan Anderson was well below the radar when he came to Cal in the fall. After two-thirds of his freshman season, the forward finds himself in clear view -- of the NBA. 

Anderson has gone from a high school player who couldn't crack scout.com's top 100 to a legitimate pro prospect. His numbers this season have opened the eyes of NBA scouts, and Anderson has turned into the type of player who might not even spend four years in college.  ``He came out of the blue,'' one scout said. ``He wasn't on any NBA team's radar when he got to Cal. If he continues being consistent and works on his lateral quickness, he will likely be a late first-round pick.''

Franklin guard makes a winning difference... Welch leads drive to Delta Valley League title. You can't go on www.maxpreps.com and find too much information on Franklin High School junior guard Julian Welch, but the young fellow had quite the pair of games last week. Welch is averaging more than 20 points this season while stepping into the huge footsteps of last season's high scorer, C.J. Morgan, now at Pacific.

One might think Welch would receive some large publicity at MaxPreps -- a key conduit of high school sports statistics and other information -- but his coach, Jesse Formaker, like quite a few others in the area, has not submitted information to the site. The Franklin coach said he fears giving an edge to potential opponents. Yeah, OK. Whatever.

Pleasant Grove gets first big win as varsity program...Any coach building a basketball program would gladly accept a prominent center and point guard. Pleasant Grove head coach Lance Corgiat is one of the few lucky ones.

Corgiat, in his second year with the boys basketball program and his first as the varsity coach, has at least two more years to appreciate the uniqueness of Armond Armstead and Xavier Thames.

Armstead, a junior, and Thames, one of the most explosive sophomore guards in the Sac-Joaquin Section, are capable of stamping Pleasant Grove’s mark on the Delta River League possibly sooner than most first-year varsity athletic departments.

Armstead and Thames both contributed to the program’s first noticeable win at the varsity level, surviving a 62-58 win over Tokay, a premier Division I program from Lodi, at Pleasant Grove High School last Tuesday. The duo combined for 44 points. read article

Barnes’ Career Night Sparks Warriors...OAKLAND, Calif., Dec. 12 (AP) -- The tattoo on Matt Barnes' shoulder reads ``Sac Town's Finest,'' and the Golden State forward certainly was better than anything his hometown team had to offer.

Barnes set career highs with 32 points and 11 rebounds, and Andris Biedrins added 20 points and 14 rebounds in the sharp-shooting Warriors' 126-113 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night. read article

The sharp-shooting Warriors finished off a home sweep of the Sacramento Kings with a 126-113 win on Tuesday at ORACLE Arena. Golden State drained 15 three-pointers in 27 attempts, including six from Matt Barnes, who finished with a career-best 32 points and 11 rebounds. Read page

Scott perfectly suited....Sydney Kings coach Brian Goorjian has told media that his new import, Ed Scott, is “perfectly suited” to his team after an impressive debut last weekend.

The 183cm guard made his first appearance for the Kings in Round 11 against the Cairns Taipans at the Sydney Entertainment Centre and did not disappoint. He finished the game with 12 points, five rebounds and four assits.

While Scott had impressive numbers in that match for Sydney he admits it was a tough start in the League.

"It was tough, to say the least," Scott told the Sydney Morning Herald’s Jessica Halloran. "I wasn't too familiar with the sets, but we, as a team, played well. We had an 18-point lead and lost it, but we won the game and that shows a lot about the team to not be together so long and still find a way to win. That's really important."...read more