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.”
More Stories
USF’s presidential search slowed in spring, now resumes with new firm
The USF presidential search committee announced this month its plans to move forward with a new search firm in its pursuit of a new university president. In May, USF spokesperson Althea Johnson told The Oracle that USF would move forward with its presidential search after its initial search firm — SP&A Executive Search — finished […]
USF rocket team takes flight in NASA competition despite challenges
In a field in Alabama, USF Society of Aeronautics and Rocketry members waited for Prometheus — the rocket they’d spent nine months crafting — to take flight. USF’s SOAR was among the 53 teams that launched their rockets for the NASA Student Launch in Huntsville on May 4. The USF team placed 18th after launching […]
USF international students navigate travel under new visa limitations
With a ban restricting visa issuance and entry into the U.S. in effect, USF student Arshia Esmaeilian said he is afraid his parents might not be able to see him graduate next year unless the ban is lifted. “I didn’t really ask for this,” said Esmaeilian, a senior chemistry major. “It’s just something I have […]
USF’s Marshall Student Center to reduce hours amid budget constraints
USF’s Marshall Student Center will operate under reduced hours starting in the upcoming fall semester. New operating hours will go into effect starting on Aug. 17 as listed below: Monday–Thursday: Changing from 7 a.m.–midnight to 8 a.m.–11 p.m. Friday: Changing from 7 a.m.–1 a.m. to 8 a.m.–midnight Saturday: Changing from 8 a.m.–1 a.m. to 8 […]
USF, Crisis Center step up hurricane prep as anxiety lingers from last season
With the arrival of hurricane season in Tampa, USF students – particularly those new to South Florida – may be experiencing increased stress or anxiety after the 2024 season. Running from June 1 to Nov. 30, hurricane season marks the period when tropical storms form and intensify in the Atlantic Ocean, according to the National […]
Hillsborough County to explore building sports complex at MOSI site
Another development project could soon be in the works at a rapidly changing area in Tampa. Hillsborough County Commissioners voted unanimously on May 7 to prioritize building an indoor sports complex at the Museum of Science and Industry site on Fowler Avenue. Though still in its early stages, the MOSI CEO and Temple Terrace mayor […]