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The Villanova Wildcats have continued their work on the recruiting trail this summer, offering Mikeal Jones on Wednesday night—per Pat Lawless.
Mikeal Jones, a class of 2020 forward from Team Final (PA)/Girard College (PA), has picked up an offer from Villanova.
— Pat Lawless (@PatLawless_) August 10, 2017
Jones, a 6-foot-8, 200-pound forward, has two other offers—Penn State and La Salle. He has received interest from Temple, St. Joseph’s, Xavier, and UConn. Jones is a four-star prospect according to Future150.
He used to attend Roman Catholic (Pa.) but transferred out after his freshman season and chose to reclassify to 2020 (formerly class of 2019), and attend Girard College (Pa.).
This past season, he helped lead Girard to the PIAA Class A finals. The Cavaliers fell to Kennedy Catholic in the state championship game, but it was a solid season for Jones, who averaged 22.0 points per game and 8.8 rebounds per game. He was also named first team All-State and first team Freshman All-American by Maxpreps.
On the AAU circuit, Jones plays for local squad Team Final. He is the youngest member and the only non-class of 2018 player of Team Final, which features another Villanova target: Cameron Reddish.
This year, on the Nike EYBL, he averaged 6.5 points per game and 3.2 rebounds per game.
Jones already has the physical tools to prepare for the next level of the game. First, his frame—a 6-foot-8 body with a long wingspan. Combine that with his leaping ability, speed, and athleticism, and he’s a threat on both ends of the court. He is a smart and stingy defender, able to guard anyone from the ‘one’ to the stretch ‘four’. What he lacks in quickness for some of the more agile guards, he’s able to compensate with length and a long reach. He truly excels as a defender and is able to force turnovers and block shots at a respectable clip.
Offensively, he’s still a work in progress. He’s a great finisher and slasher, one that’s able to deliver above the rim. However, Jones is still improving his jump shot and isn’t really a threat from deep. Currently, he’s more of an inside scorer and slasher. He’s still pretty raw on this end of the court and has time to find consistency with his jumper.