Archbishop Carroll's Derrick Jones is on Syracuse basketball's recruiting radar

Derrick Jones horizontal.JPG

Archbishop Carroll's Derrick Jones walks with his hands over head as his team is losing with time running down in the second half of the PIAA Class AAA Boys Basketball championship game against Imhotep on Friday, March 22, 2013 in Hershey, Pa. Imhotep won 54-45.

(AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

Syracuse, NY -- An injury to an Archbishop Carroll teammate opened a starting spot for Syracuse University basketball target Derrick Jones when he was a raw freshman. His defense kept him in the lineup. His improving perimeter skills now project the 6-foot-6 junior as "a high-level wing player," said his high school coach.

"He's a hard worker. Very long. Great understanding of the defensive end of the court," said Archbishop Carroll (Radnor, Pa.) coach Paul Romanczuk. "It just kind of comes naturally to him."

SU has offered Jones, a Class of 2015 prospect, a basketball scholarship. That offer delighted Jones, who has emerged from an impressive summer on the AAU circuit as a top talent. Jones was in Syracuse for the Orange Elite Camp on Aug. 31, where he witnessed the marvels of the Melo Center and saw the SU campus. Romanczuk said Jones "really enjoyed his visit" to Syracuse.

Archbishop Carroll's Derrick Jones (24) dunks in the first half of the PIAA Class AAA Boys Basketball championship game on Friday, March 22, 2013 in Hershey, Pa.

SU assistant coach Gerry McNamara was scheduled to visit Jones this week until childbirth postponed the meeting. McNamara and his wife, Katie, welcomed baby girl Maggie this week.

"He's formed a pretty good relationship with Coach McNamara," Romanczuk said, "and has gone on record to say Syracuse is one of the schools he's liked for a while. He was really excited when Syracuse offered him."

Romanczuk described Jones as "thinly built" and suggested that current SU forward B.J. Johnson, easily the slimmest player on the Orange roster, would appear stocky standing next to Jones. The Archbishop Carroll junior, said Romanczuk, is something of a late physical bloomer whose athleticism currently eclipses his physicality.

"He plays stronger and tougher than he looks, but he's certainly thinly built," Romanczuk said. "He has a lot to improve on and it's almost like he has no ceiling. He's got a young, immature body. He's going to fill out once he gets into college and gets with a strength and conditioning coach."

Jones has no timetable for making a college choice, Romanczuk said, and plans to make some official visits.

Jones told Jeff Borzello of CBS Sports earlier this summer that a few criteria will guide his decision. Among them:

"A big fanbase, lot of fans coming to the games and cheering us on," Jones said. "I'm a social person, so a big campus. Great coaching staff, great team. That's pretty much it."

Romanczuk, incidentally, played basketball at Penn; his wife is the daughter of former 76ers coach Doug Collins. His brother-in-law is new Northwestern head coach Chris Collins.

Watch Jones for yourself in a couple highlight videos:

This one is essentially a Jones dunk-fest:

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.