Jones making waves on grassroots basketball scene

Jones making waves on grassroots basketball scene
Kai Jones.

Kai Jones has made waves on the grassroots basketball scene with his play at the National Basketball Association (NBA) Global Camp in Treviso, Italy this month, and as a result, several National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I schools have made official offers to the 6’10” forward.

Jones, who was relatively unknown in the United States (U.S.) up until April, has received 10 offers over the course of the last two months from the University of Illinois, University of Mississippi, University of South Florida, Georgetown, Rhode Island, Little Rock, Old Dominion, Virginia Commonwealth University, Florida Gulf Coast and Buffalo.

Draft Express representative Jonathan Givony said that Jones was by far one of the best prospects at the  NBA Global Camp.

“Kai Jones from The Bahamas is definitely making a name for himself at the NBA Global Camp in Treviso,” he said.

“He has almost no online footprint in the U.S. but looks like one of the best long-term prospects here. Long and athletic, can handle, shoot and has terrific defensive instincts.”

Prior to last year, Jones played very little experience playing organized basketball. Despite his inexperience, he was also one of the top prospects at the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders program in The Bahamas last summer.

In an effort to boost his stock even more in his senior year, Jones is transferring to the Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire.

Brewster has captured five National Prep Championships since 2010. The program has also won six NEPSAC Class AAA Tournament Championships since 2008. Over the past 12 seasons, the program has averaged over 30 victories per year (364-57) and had a winning percentage over .865.

Eleven Brewster alumni have played in the NBA, while 50+ others have had professional careers in leagues around the world, including the NBA G League.

About Randy Smith

Randy Smith is the producer of the widely-watched local television show “Beyond The Headlines” and the web content manager of Eyewitness News. He joined Eyewitness News as a sportscaster in 2018, a role he still performs, and has previously covered a slew of international sporting events, including the 2015 Pan American Games, the Nike EYBL Showcase, several IAAF World Relays, the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, the Commonwealth Youth Games, the Bahamas Bowl and multiple CARIFTA Swimming and Track & Field Championships. Randy has been recognized by the Bahamas Press Club with awards for “Best Sports Broadcast” as a sportscaster and “Best TV Talk Show” as a producer.