Jones makes expected commitment

The commitment that had been rumored for some time came on Sunday morning. Lake Wales guard Dominique Jones made a verbal pledge to Coach Robert McCullum at the close of his official visit last weekend.

"On Sunday, when we were getting ready to leave and head back home, Dominique told Coach (McCullum) that he wanted a green Bulls shirt just like the one he had on. He wanted to make his verbal commitment to become a Bull," Norman Jones, Dominque's father, said on Monday afternoon. "That put a smile on Coach's face."

Jones becomes the first commitment to USF's 2007 recruiting class – one that will have to replace McHugh Mattis, Melvin Buckley, Melvyn Richardson and Chris Capko. Jones chose the Bulls over primary competition from Fresno State and Tennessee-Chattanooga. Norman Jones said his son will cancel a visit he had set for next weekend to UTC. He will also pass on an Oct. 14 trip to Fresno.

"I didn't want to push him one way or the other, but I'm very relieved he made the decision for South Florida. Fresno kept moving his trip back (originally set for mid-September), so I didn't think they were really serious when they kept telling us Dominique was their top guy. Tennessee-Chattanooga was very impressive, but I think playing close to home and in the Big East made the difference."

Jones, 6-foot-4, was a relative unknown nationally until emerging last summer on the AAU circuit. He impressed at tournaments in Las Vegas, Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina and Orlando. And in addition to his strong play, there was one constant for Jones at each stop – the presence of Robert McCullum.

At USF, Jones is expected to be able to play either guard position, although Norman Jones said Dominique's primary spot is point guard and schools that were recruiting him solely as a shooting guard were ruled out early in the recruiting process.

"USF explained their philosophy of using their guards as interchangeable in a three-guard rotation. It made sense to me. Using him as a combo guard gives them the ability to keep him on the floor," Norman Jones said. "They're also very focused on him as a student-athlete and being successful in the classroom."

Jones currently has a 2.7 grade point average and scored 810 on his first try at the standardized test.

DUSTIN SCOTT UPDATE:

Also visiting USF last weekend was Tallahassee Community College forward Dustin Scott. The 6-foot-8 South Carolina native is reported to be down to the Bulls and Virginia Commonwealth. TCC coach Eddie Barnes said he had not yet spoken with Scott since his return, but USF remains very high on Scott's list.

"I'm meeting with him in about 10 minutes and then I'll know a lot more," Barnes said late Monday afternoon. "I know he doesn't want to go far from home, so he's already said no to schools out west. He has offers from a lot of big schools on the east coast."

Scott is considered one of the top junior college sophomores in the nation. He averaged 15 points and eight rebounds as a freshman at TCC when the team went 31-4 and was the national runner-up. Scott's primary strength is his versatility. Barnes said that alone puts him among the top two JUCOs in America.

"He makes it a hard decision for any team trying to guard him. If you pack it in, he can take it outside and shoot it. Or he can post you up and score. He runs like a deer and can put it on the floor. He's a high-energy guy. He just brings a lot to the table."

Look for a more detailed update on Scott coming to USFBullsEYE.com on Tuesday.