Jones to enter NBA draft
USF junior guard Dominique Jones plans to skip his senior season and enter the NBA draft, his father, Norm Jones, said Sunday evening.
But Jones doesn’t plan on hiring an agent until the deadline for underclassmen to declare or withdraw their name from the draft pool on May 8, keeping his options open in the event of a worst-case scenario, Norm Jones said.
“He doesn’t want to completely close the door right now,” he said. “(Coming back to school) is just a possibility that could occur.”
Jones’ departure will leave a huge void in USF’s backcourt, as the Bulls also lose starting senior guards Mike Mercer and Chris Howard. Jones earned All-Big East honors this season after averaging 21.4 points per game. He is expected to be taken anywhere in the late-first or early-second round. First-round draft picks are guaranteed NBA contracts.
USF has never had a player go in the first round.
“It’s overwhelming to a point, when you never expected anything like this,” Norm Jones said. “It’s also the scariest part because he’s out in uncharted waters. You don’t get in a comfort zone through most of the process because it goes from one stage to another. It’s a frightening thing, to a certain extent.”
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